More Than Medicine
by Fierce Delta Ladies-chan
Summary: Prequel to “Past Recovery”. They had nothing in common. Nothing at all. Except a passion for medicine.
1. Chapter 1

Title: More than Medicine

Category: House, M.D.

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: Eventual House/Cuddy

Rating: M

Set: 20 years before Season 1

Summary: Prequel to "Past Recovery". They had nothing in common. Nothing at all. Except a passion for medicine.

Author Notes: Takes place 25 years before "Past Recovery", which is an AU of the second half of season 5. This is not a love-at-first-sight fic. This is a realistic romance. Which means that the relationship between House and Cuddy will take a while to develop. Since this is a college-era fic, the characters, especially House, might seem OOC. Anyways…on to the fic!

Author Notes 2: Most of the chapter titles will be song titles. No song lyrics will be used unless specified at the beginning of the appropriate chapter. All song titles and lyrics are copyright their respective owners.

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=More Than Medicine=

-Chapter 1: Who's That Guy?-

'_No. It's too early for this.'_ Lisa Cuddy thought as she pulled into the parking space closest to the residence halls on the University of Michigan campus. Summer had ended much to soon, and the atmosphere still held a bit of the season even as the returning students packed their belongings up to their rooms from their vehicles. Thankfully, Lisa had been given a room on the ground floor this year, her last year as an undergraduate, and she didn't have to travel very far with her luggage.

Pressing the button to pop the trunk, she turned off the car and got out. Walking around to the trunk to start removing her belongings, she had to jump back to avoid the path of a flashy car she'd never seen on the campus before. It had a sleek design, and she knew it wasn't a recent model. It drove past her in a flash of orange, swerving into a spot a few stalls down from where she herself was parked.

The now-obvious make and model of the orange car with the black stripe across the side wasn't what surprised Lisa. Even though the make was from 1974, it was not uncommon to see the model on the road. She'd heard good reviews about the Colt GT, but liked her own Ford Granada just fine, and hadn't wanted any other car. Besides, her Granada was only three years old. The eleven year old Dodge parked there wasn't her style, anyway.

No. What surprised her the most was who it was that exited the vehicle. It was a man who, like his car, had never been seen on the U of M campus. Unable to resist, she gave the new guy a once-over. Dressed simply in a pair of blue jeans and a sweater with the Johns Hopkins logo with a pair of sneakers, he didn't seem all that out of place. He was tall, probably about five or six inches taller than her. The fact that he was well built made her assume he was an athlete of some sort. The man had broad shoulders and his arms looked strong enough to bend steel. Immediately, Lisa decided she did not want to get in this man's way. Ever. Before she had finished analyzing him, he was closing the door of his vehicle and walking over to her. She couldn't help noticing he had a long stride. Blinking, she looked up at him as he came to a stop right in front of her.

"Need any help?" he asked. His voice was smooth and even. His clear, icy blue eyes were highlighted with a certain level of boredom. Clearly, he did not want to be there. As if he knew what she was thinking, he went on speaking. "I'm supposed to help the undergrads bring in their stuff." Shrugging he opened the trunk of the car and gazed at the contents.

"Oh. Um…" Lisa stuttered, slightly unnerved by the raw power the man seemed to radiate. _'Yeah…this is really not the kind of guy you wanna piss off,'_ she thought, nodding a couple times. Taking that as her acceptance of his help, the man picked up one of her duffle bags, throwing the strap over his shoulder. Removing two more bags, he started walking up to the entrance to the residence hall. Quickly grabbing another bag, she ran to catch up. It seemed she had been right about her earlier assessment of his strength; he didn't seem to have a problem carrying what were easily the heaviest bags she'd packed.

"Which room is yours?" he asked once they'd entered the building. He looked around as if he were trying to memorize the place. She quirked an eyebrow at that. The way he talked, it seemed like he was only hired help. What need would he have to memorize the layout of the residence hall? Sighing, she answered him.

"198, this way," she nodded in the appropriate direction, leading the way. Fishing the room key which she had picked up the previous week out of her jacket pocket, she unlocked the door and opened it wide. Setting the bag she carried just inside the door, she drug a chair over to prop the door open. She supposed she should be glad she had not been given a room mate this year; it meant less interference with her studies. And having medicine as her field of interest, she didn't need any distractions. This being her senior year, the workload was going to be heavy enough. There wouldn't be time for distractions. She heard her helper set down the three bags he'd carried in, and turned to look at him.

"How much more stuff do you have to bring in?" he asked, not sounding the least bit exhausted after lugging three duffle bags packed to bursting from her car to her room.

"Not a lot," she answered back vaguely, sweeping past him. Though she only meant to annoy him, it was true. She didn't know why she sought to annoy a man she didn't even know. Perhaps it was because the guy absolutely oozed arrogance. Maybe she wanted to distance herself from him, tell him that she wasn't interested at all in his good looks, or his strong arms. Which was probably what he wanted her to be impressed with. Men were all the same. And after Joel, who had broken up with her harshly just before the end of last year, Lisa wasn't certain she wanted any man taking any interest in her whatsoever.

She made her way back to her car, the hired hand right behind her. She stopped and felt him come up next to her.

"I'll get it, you go start unpacking." Without even glancing over at her to see if she agreed, he reached into the trunk and gathered up the rest of her bags. Rolling her eyes, she led the way back to her room and did as he suggested. She was starting to put her clothes away when he re-entered, setting the rest of her belongings down and dusting himself off.

She stared at him, but did not make any comments. When he didn't leave immediately, she furrowed her brows. "Is there a reason you haven't left to see if anyone else needs help?" she asked acidly before she could stop herself. Jesus, but the man unnerved her like no other.

"No one else has arrived yet," he pointed out. Lisa sighed. "And you look like you could use a bit more help."

"Why do you care? You're just hired help, aren't you?"

"My internship depends on this, okay? I have to show my boss that I can be dependable, so he told me to help the undergrads move in. That's what I'm doing, whether you like it or not. I'm just following orders." He blinked suddenly. Staring at him, Lisa realized that he'd probably revealed a lot more to her than he'd wanted. So, that was it, was it?

"You're interning at the campus hospital?" she asked. "You're a doctor?"

"I'm working on it," he answered back with a roll of his eyes. It was painfully obvious that he regretted answering her truthfully. Shrugging, she nodded once to show that she was okay with him continuing to help her, and letting him know she wouldn't ask any more questions if he didn't want her to.

He came up next to her and started helping her sort her clothes into piles to put away. Respectfully, he stayed away from her underwear. "So," he started. "What are you here for?" His blue eyes flickered over to her, catching the annoyance in her soft brown eyes. "Relax. I'm just trying to make conversation. It'll make this less boring. I hate being bored," he revealed.

"Medicine. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was twelve," she answered back, shrugging absently. "I've never seen you around here before."

"That's because I just came here," he stated as if it were completely obvious. "In case you can't read the sweatshirt, I used to go to Johns Hopkins." Of course, he'd been expelled for cheating, but he didn't want to reveal that. Ever. He had a reputation to protect, after all. He was grateful when she simply nodded and didn't press him. "I don't believe I got your name," he observed, turning his signature smile on the brunette undergrad. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," he added, seeing that she turned to him with an odd look.

"Lisa Cuddy," she told, holding out her hand. The man took it in his strong grip and shook once, his eyes alight.

"Gregory House."

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Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you in advance for all reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2: Come Monday-

**Monday, September 3, 1984**

"Lisa! Hey, Lisa! Wait up!" A glower covering her face, she stopped when she heard her name called. It was too early for this. Too early in the school year. Too early in the day. Glancing at her watch, she prayed this would be short. She had ten minutes to get across campus to her first class. She almost started walking again when she felt the familiar presence behind her. "I missed you, Lisa," a smooth voice said behind her.

"Go away, Joel." She didn't even turn to face him, just kept staring ahead, holding her books against her chest. "I have to get to class."

"I thought you'd call, or at least write, over the summer." Joel came around to face her, and was genuinely shocked at the fierce look on her face. "What's wrong, Lis? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Why would I be?" she iced, stomping past him. "You broke up with me last year, remember?" She could already feel the tears coming to her eyes. She'd given Joel everything she had to give. Her heart, but he'd ripped it apart. Her soul, and he'd ignored it. Her body, and he'd used her. If he hadn't ended it between them, she would have. He'd broken her heart and she wasn't quite in the mood to have him around.

"Babe! I was drunk! You gotta believe me!" He pleaded, following her. "Please, hon. Take me back. I was drunk…I didn't know what I was saying…" She ignored him and kept walking. "Come on, Lisa. Listen to me, please…"

"I know you were drunk, Joel. And that's exactly why I can't take you back. You spent more time drinking with your friends than you spent with me." Honestly, she didn't know why she was attempting to explain herself to him. "Don't you have a class to get to?" she snapped, finally stopping and turning to face him, her black skirt swirling around her legs. Joel opened his mouth to say something, but shut it immediately, staring at a spot just over Lisa's shoulder. "What?" she asked him, staring.

"If you two don't hurry up, you'll be late to class," came a familiar voice. Although, Lisa wasn't sure if she could call it familiar, as she'd only heard it once before. Secretly, though, she was glad he'd shown up. It saved her from having to listen to the pathetic excuses of her pathetic ex boyfriend. Lisa turned around to face her savior.

"Oh, Doctor House," she said, surprised. He looked completely different from when she'd met him two days before. There was an air of authority around him, which had replaced the arrogance she'd sensed before.

"Well, well, well. Lisa, right?" he asked. He'd always been bad with names. At least until he got to know someone. And he never got to know anyone. Greg preferred to be a loner, preferred not to have a lot of friends. Preferred not to have any friends. He smiled as she nodded. "And who's your friend?" He didn't miss the angry look that flitted briefly across Lisa's face, making a mental note to ask about it later.

"He's not my friend," she claimed, walking easily past Greg and away from Joel. "I really must get to class. Doctor Arnold isn't very forgiving of late students," she added the last part, mostly for Joel's benefit. She wanted her ex to know exactly how much trouble she'd be in if he kept her back. And if she got into trouble because of him, she'd make sure he got worse. As she kept walking, she missed the surprised look that crossed Greg's face.

"Doctor Jason Arnold?" he asked, turning to follow her, leaving Joel alone to find his way to class. "Teaches the course on infectious disease?" He fell into step beside her, walking back the way he had come.

"Yes. That's right. Do you know him?" Lisa had taken the infectious diseases prerequisite the previous year, and it had been taught by Jason Arnold. She was surprised that someone who had just come to the school would know him.

"He's the doctor I'm interning with." Greg shrugged as if it were nothing. "I also happen to be his teaching assistant," he added with a sideways glance. "So it looks like we'll be seeing quite a lot of each other." There was no positive connotation attached to his words.

"You sound like that would be a problem," she observed, walking past him as he held open the door of the building for her. "Not a people person, I take it?" He merely shook his head in answer.

"Not particularly." He smirked as the door closed behind them and he escorted her the rest of the way to class. Figuring that her next logical question would be why he had become a doctor if he didn't like people, he continued: "I know what you're thinking. And I get asked a lot. And quite frankly, I get tired of answering." Pausing outside the door of the classroom, he met her eyes. "I'm a doctor because I want to help people. You don't have to like people to help them." He opened the door and gestured her in. "I have an errand to finish." Closing the door behind her, he turned around and went back the way they had come.

There was something off about their encounter that morning. Her and the other student had clearly been in the middle of an argument when he had approached. He'd fully intended to keep walking, to finish his errand as quickly as possible. Which bugged him. He honestly didn't know why he'd interrupted. Maybe he just figured she wanted to be left alone, and he could relate to that. He quirked his lips as he made his way to his car. A woman as beautiful as Lisa Cuddy would never be left alone. Digging in his pockets for his car keys, he blinked.

'_Did I just seriously consider the social life of an undergrad?'_ he wondered, unlocking his door. Sliding in, he keyed the ignition and pulled away from the curb. He couldn't be truly interested in her social life. He couldn't be interested in any aspect of the undergraduate's life. Any undergraduate's life. It was part of his contract. He'd held out for three and a half months without a breach of contract. This internship meant too much to him; it was his key to the medical world.

He had just managed to clear Lisa from his thoughts when he pulled up outside his apartment. As it was the first day of classes, and he had nothing to do as an assistant, he had been allowed to return to his apartment to retrieve something to occupy himself. Turning off the engine, he got out of the car and walked up the short set of stairs and entered the building. Making his way up to his third floor rented rooms, he ran through a list of his old books, deciding ahead of time which one(s) he would pick up. It would save time that way.

Unlocking his door, he entered and walked straight to his bookshelf. He hadn't been able to decide anything on his way up, and looking at his impressive collection didn't help. Glancing around the room, his eyes lit up as they landed on the light blue folder sitting open on top of his piano. It would be hard to compose without having the keyboard right there with him, but he had every note memorized, so it wouldn't be impossible. Taking the few steps over to the instrument, he picked up the folder, closing it. He vaguely recalled packing the pencil he kept with the folder into his shoulder bag that morning. Leaving the apartment, he locked the door again and made his way back down to his car.

Sliding back into the driver's seat, he set the folder in the passenger's seat and started the car. He'd test out the next part of his composition when he returned. For now though, he had to get back to the school before Doctor Arnold got impatient with him. The teacher had seemed to be fairly impatient with him quite often since he'd begun his internship in June. Vaguely, he wondered why that was as he pulled away and began the drive back to the college campus.


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3: Brokenheartsville-

**Monday, September 3. 1984**

Lisa looked up from her silent contemplation of the chapter they'd been assigned to read when the classroom door opened behind her. Like the other students in the class, she turned to see who had entered. Quirking her eyebrow slightly when she saw it was only House, she returned to her reading. She couldn't resist rolling her eyes when the two girls sitting immediately behind her started whispering and giggling. She had to look back up, however, when the giggling increased fivefold for a few seconds before returning to its original non-existence when Doctor Arnold glared up from his desk.

"Quiet, please. Unless you're done with the chapter, which is unlikely." Doctor Arnold's hard gray eyes scanned the room as he searched for the cause of the disturbance. "House. I'm going to have to ask you to not distract my students," he commented as his addressee made his way to the front of the class to take his seat at the desk against the wall.

"Sorry, Doctor Arnold. Won't happen again," House quipped, setting down the folder and flipping it open. He disappeared behind the desk for a moment, leaning down to rummage in his bag for his pencil. As he re-emerged, he mimed being quiet, much to the amusement of the two girls behind Lisa. She groaned in annoyance. It didn't surprise her that House was a show-off. She turned to cast a brief glower at the TA's new fan girls before returning to her work. Typical cheerleaders…all it took was an athletic build to get them riled up.

Despite herself, though, she couldn't help but glance over at him as he sat there, pencil lodged between his lips as he stared down at the paper in front of him. Occasionally, he would tap his fingers on the desktop, his eyes drifting slightly closed, before getting a triumphant look and scribbling on the page. _'How strange,'_ Lisa thought, returning to her textbook. She managed to keep her eyes glued to the assigned reading for the rest of the class period. As she gathered her books to her chest, she saw the two cheerleaders go past her, heading down to where House was seated, giggling the entire time.

Almost without knowing why, she was infuriated to see that he flirted right back to them. Typical jock. She told herself it was because he was playing into the athletic stereotype (as a general rule, stereotypes annoyed her, and anyone who followed them wasn't worth her time). She refused to believe that she was jealous. Jealous because he was flirting with two cheerleaders, having a wonderful pseudo-conversation, and she was still getting over the pain of being used. Jealous because they were going on with life while she was stuck in that heartbreaking moment when she realized that, despite his words to the contrary, Joel Hartman had never loved her, only sought to cause her pain. She could remember the moment it had happened clearly, even though it had happened months ago.

_--She was thankful no one used the music room on weekends. It gave her a quiet place to study for her finals. And no one was likely to interrupt her. Sighing and settling herself down in the middle of the room, surrounding herself with the silent instruments. She spread her books out around her. She'd reached for her advanced-level anatomy textbook and had just opened it to begin studying when she heard them._

_Joel and his friends. If they thought they were going to interrupt her, they had some severe mental problems. Ignoring the noise her boyfriend and his buddies made, she attempted again to submerge herself in the text. But the door to the music room flew open and he sauntered in, his two best friends trailing behind him._

"_Hey, Lis…watcha doin?" Joel asked, his words running together. Lisa realized immediately that they were drunk. Shaking her head, she returned to her books. "I asked you a question!" Joel reminded her forcefully, stumbling over to her._

"_I know. It should be obvious what I'm doing." Lisa rolled her eyes, but didn't look up. "I'm studying. Which you should be doing instead of going out and getting drunk." She heard him trip to a stop, and knew she'd said the wrong thing._

"_How dare you?!" he asked, glaring down at her. "You're just jealous 'cause I know how to have fun. You're such a teacher's pet, Lis." Reaching down, he pulled her up, completely ignoring the textbook in her hand. "You never have any fun, you know that?" he hiccupped, staring into her indifferent eyes. "You've never been any fun. God…sex with you wasn't even ever very fun."_

_Lisa's eyes widened. What the..? "Joel…you're drunk. Come back and talk to me when you're sober." She tried to pull back, but his grip on her arms was unusually strong._

"_I'm talking to you now, Lisa. So just shut up and listen. Lately I've been asking myself what I ever saw in you. And I've answered myself 'nothing'." She opened her mouth to speak, but he raised a hand and smacked her. "I'm still talking!" he slurred. "You're no fun, Lis. I thought I could make you have fun, but I was wrong. You're incapable of having fun."_

"_Joel! I don't have time for this! Finals start next week…" She reminded him, but he wasn't listening. He just smacked her again._

"_Don't interrupt me….What was I saying?"_

"_You were gonna tell her you didn't like her," one of his friends piped up._

"_Oh yeah," he smirked. "He's right, Lis. I don't like you. Don't even love you. Never did. Only said it so I could bed you." He didn't care about the shocked look in her eyes. Didn't even seem to register it. "'Course, the sex wasn't all that great, so I still have no idea why I bothered."_

"_You arrogant pig!" she cried, wrenching herself from his grip, gathering up her textbooks as quickly as she could. Without another word, without waiting for him to defend himself, she stormed from the room._

_She never returned to the music room to study after that.--_

Her eyes were glazed over as she turned to leave the room. She vaguely heard the giggling stop and one of the cheerleadersspeak just as she reached the door.

"Where are you going, Greg?" she whined. Distantly, she heard his reply.

"Ah…I just remembered that I forgot something." She heard hurried footsteps behind her as she pushed the door open and walked quickly down the hall. The footsteps behind her quickened and she heard the older man's voice. "Lisa…"

"What do you want?" she sighed. "Can't anyone see that I want to be left alone right now?" She stopped, though, and felt some sort of comfort from his presence behind her. Turning, she caught a glimpse of the folder in his hand and the pencil held between two of his fingers. It must be something important he'd been doing if he'd brought it with him.

Blinking, Greg was slightly taken aback by her tone of voice. It was clear she was in pain. "You looked upset back there," he answered lamely. Honestly, he didn't know why he even cared. He told himself that he was intrigued with her; she was interesting to him. She reminded him a little bit of himself. He didn't know when he'd come to that conclusion. He hardly knew her. "If you have some free time, we could talk about it…" Mentally, he slapped himself.

"I've got an hour. But, I've got two conditions," she remarked. When he nodded, a look of confusion on his face, she continued. "Question for a question. If you ask me something, I get to ask you one back."

"Fair enough. What's the second condition?" House asked, raising one eyebrow.

"You don't ever tell a soul anything I tell you." She liked her secrets as just that. Secrets. "Where do you want to go to talk?"

"Hm…" he quirked his lips in thought. "How about the music building? I've got something I want to test out, but I don't want to go back home to do it." Her throat tightened. Music building? And what could he possibly want to test out?

"O…okay," she stuttered, turning and beginning to make her way to the place she'd sworn to avoid forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Kinda short this time, but hope it's enjoyable anyways.  


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-Chapter 4: Piano Man-

**Monday, September 3, 1984**

House walked into the music room ahead of her. Hesitantly, she followed, her breath caught in her throat. Everything was exactly as it had been that fateful afternoon. She watched him look around. A confused look crossed her face as he walked over to the closest wall, running his hand over it. She frowned when he smiled.

"What?" she asked, the question coming out before she could stop it.

"This room has to have some wicked acoustics," he breathed, backing away from the wall and glancing over the instruments. Lisa followed him over to the piano in the center of the room. Watched him trace the edges, seeing the loving look he graced the instrument with. She was astounded at the gentle way he touched the frame, guided his hand across the top. She stopped right next to the piano as he slid onto the bench, caressing the ivory and ebony keys, touching each one delicately, as if the keys would break if he applied too much pressure.

"Do you play?" she asked softly. Greg grinned wickedly as he looked up at her.

"I thought I got to start asking the questions?" He shifted, indicating that she could sit on the bench next to him if she chose to. He set the folder on the sheet music ledge, opening it, as she accepted his invitation. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the surprised look on her face as she took in the bars and notes. "And yes." He turned his head slightly to look at her. "I did compose this."

Her eyes widened. "You…you wrote this?" she asked, gesturing to the sheet music. "Incredible," she whispered. She honestly couldn't believe it. The first impression she'd gotten of him seemed to be falling apart in the face of this new information. A jock who composed music was practically unheard of. As he started to play, she reassessed her thoughts again.

A jock who composed music and played that beautifully was definitely unheard of. It took her a moment to realize that he wasn't looking at the sheet music.

"You're not.."

"I've played this part before," he answered, holding a note while he focused on the folder. "This part, though…I just finished writing this part." Now it made sense. This must be why he'd been tapping on his desk.

"It's…"

"Not finished," House finished for her, glancing quickly at her before turning his attention to what looked like one of the more complex note series. Lisa shook her head.

"It's beautiful," she gasped, watching his fingers fly over the keys. "I had you figured wrong." Her eyes focused on his profile as he continued to play. He didn't look up or answer until he'd finished playing the new part of his composition.

"What does that mean?" he asked, not removing his hands from the keyboard. His brow furrowed as he turned his head again to look at her. "How did you have me figured?" There was no annoyance in his voice or his eyes, only genuine interest. Which interested him. He'd always sought to ignore what people thought of him.

"I…" she stuttered, unsure of why she suddenly couldn't speak clearly around him. "I thought you were just a typical jock, and the way you were flirting with those cheerleaders earlier didn't help to dispel that image." She blinked at the shocked look he gave her. "What?"

"Typical jock?" he asked, blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "How did you figure I was a 'jock' in the first place?"

"The first time I saw you, when you got out of the car, the first thing I thought of was 'athlete'," she shrugged noncommittally.

"I won't deny that I'm an athlete, but 'jock' is a bit of a stretch," he laughed. And it was a wonderful sound. "I played lacrosse back at Johns Hopkins," he explained, tapping experimentally on the keys. His face got serious for a moment as he took up the pencil and jotted down the notes he'd just played.

"You are a strange one, Doctor House," Lisa said, shaking her head slowly. He didn't deny it.


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5: Believe Me Baby (I Lied)-

**Friday, September 14, 1984**

Time had passed so quickly since the day that Lisa Cuddy decided that Gregory House wasn't all that bad. They didn't make it a habit to spend a lot of time together outside of class. Of course, whatever time they did spend was either in the quietness of the music room where she would talk while he composed, or in the library reading or studying.

Lisa was on her way to the library to meet up with him for the book review he had suggested the last time they had spoken. She had agreed immediately, so they had begun a weekly ritual of sharing the most recent book they'd read every Friday. This meeting was to be the first review. Holding her book close to her chest, she was so caught up with her thoughts that she didn't notice the person running across the quad toward her.

With a cry, she was knocked to the ground and her novel fell to the ground, open, the spine pointed to the sky, a foot away. Deciding it could wait a couple moments, she scrambled to her feet, ready to tell whoever had crashed into her that he should watch where he was going. As she turned to tell him off, her breath caught.

"Lisa…I'm so sorry…" the other student said, reaching over to pick up her book. "Random Hearts? What the…?"

"Joel…give me my book." Lisa held out her hand impatiently. "It's for my book club." At that, he gave her an interested look.

"I didn't know you had a book club," he quirked a brow, his green eyes unreadable. He handed the novel over without hesitation. "Listen, about what happened last week…"

"I don't want to hear it," Lisa said quickly, perhaps too quickly. "I'm late for my meeting." Clutching her book tightly in one hand, she moved to continue her way towards the library. A hand on her arm kept her still, however, and her heart raced with the thought of what had happened the last time she'd been held in Joel's strong grip. "Let me go."

"Not until you hear me out. Please, Lisa, you have to listen to me," he pleaded, moving around to face her. He did not relax his grip on her arm. "I said I was drunk. You have to believe me."

"I do believe you. I also believe you said you didn't care for me in the slightest." There was every hint of Back The Hell Away in her voice.

"I was drunk when I said that. I didn't mean it, honest, any of it." Joel moved closer to her, staring into her soft brown eyes as he spoke. "I really do love you, Lisa, and you're great in bed." Something lodged in her throat as he said those words. She could tell he was completely sober, but she couldn't tell if he was as honest as he said he was.

"I'm not sure I can ever trust you again, Joel…not after last time."

"Please, babe…give me another chance. I won't screw up this time, I swear! I got clean over the summer. I won't ever drink again." His eyes were alight with something Lisa couldn't identify. She'd never seen such a look on him before. "I won't fail you this time, Lis." She grew slightly afraid when he leaned in to kiss her, but she couldn't back away, not when he was holding her arm in a vice-like grip. His lips touched hers and she melted. Just like she had the last time. He pressed his lips insistently against hers and she parted them slightly. At the first feel of Joel's tongue in her mouth, Lisa regained her senses and backed away, tearing her arm from his hold.

"I'll think about it," she conceded, her tone clear that she would most definitely _not_ think about it. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm keeping my book club waiting." With that, she turned and walked to the library as quickly as she could. She hoped that Greg wouldn't be upset with her for being late. She sighed heavily as she reached the library and stopped with her hand on the door.

When had she stopped thinking of him as Doctor House and started calling him Greg? Shaking her head, she pulled open the door and entered the cool building. Her eyes searched the place, scanning every face until she found his. Smiling, grateful that he hadn't left when she hadn't shown up on time, she made her way over to where he was sitting. Well, leaning, with his feet up on the table, crossed at the ankle, a book open in his lap. As she approached, he looked up, taking in her flustered appearance.

"Sorry I'm late," she started, pulling out the chair directly opposite him. "Joel ran into me…literally." His eyes narrowed at that.

"Your creep ex boyfriend? What did he want?" He tried to make the questions seem casual, but something in his mind told him that it was imperative that he know the bastard hadn't hurt Lisa. What part of his mind that was, he didn't know. But he blocked it out, deciding that sticking to the terms of his contract would be a whole hell of a lot easier than trying to explain to the board why he had taken such a keen interest in an undergraduate.

"Ugh. He wanted to get back together with me." Seeing the look on House's face, she continued quickly, "I told him no. Pretty much." That seemed to placate him. Lisa didn't know why he would have needed her to reassure him she had no intentions of returning to her ex…except that they were well on the way to becoming good friends. Maybe not close, maybe not even good. But friends. "Anyways…what are you reading?"

"Re-reading, Lisa. And it's Hunt for Red October. Not bad, actually. What have you got there?" He gestured vaguely to her novel. She flipped it over to show him the title. "Haven't read that one. Is it any good?"

"It has its moments," she shrugged, setting the book down and off to the side. "I don't know what I should do…" Setting down his own book, Greg swung his legs down off the table and faced Lisa across the table.

"What did he say? Did he tell you he'd changed? That he was lying before? That you should believe every word he says?" He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned on them, giving the younger woman his full attention.

"That's exactly what he said," she nodded. House shook his head.

"He hasn't changed. He's lying now. And you shouldn't believe a single thing he says." She looked at him incredulously. "Don't look at me like that. You know I'm right. I've never actually met the guy, but I can tell you that you shouldn't trust him. Not if you have no reason to."

"What do you think gives you the right to decide if someone you've never met is lying or not?" She wasn't trying to be argumentative. She was curious.

"He's lied to you before, hasn't he?" She nodded. "Then how do you know he's not lying now? Men are like that. We don't change just because someone wants us to. We don't change at all if we can help it." He shrugged. "That's just the way it is."

"Do you trust anyone? At all?"

"No. It's easier to not trust someone than it is to actually trust them. If you don't trust someone, you won't be hurt when they lie to you."

"But if you do trust someone, then you can trust that they won't lie to you, right?" No matter how many strange conversations they had, Greg never stopped surprising her. He shook his head.

"There is only one constant in this world. It's not trust. It's not faith, or hope, truth, or love, or anything else like that. The only constant in this world, the only thing you can depend on, is the one basic truth of the human condition."

"Which is…?" she pressed, suppressing an eye roll. He seemed so arrogant when he was waxing philosophical…like he had to prove that his philosophy was right and everyone else's was wrong.

"Everybody lies."


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6: What Hurts The Most-

**Thursday, September 27, 1984**

For two weeks, Joel didn't approach Lisa. For which she was more than grateful. Her occasional meetings with House continued, and when she saw him in her infectious disease class, she couldn't suppress the small smile that crossed her face in greeting. Each time he nodded in acknowledgment of her presence, something in her shifted pleasantly. She couldn't explain it, but she assumed it was because it felt good to actually have someone she could trust. And despite what he'd said two weeks before, she continued to trust him. It was after class that he came up to her.

"Our book review still on for tomorrow?" he asked, leaning casually against her desk as she gathered her books. She gave him a friendly smile and he was shocked at the feelings the simple, common gesture evoked in him.

"Yeah," she answered. "Same time as usual?" When he nodded in affirmation, she turned to leave. "See you later, then," she called over her shoulder , pulling the door open. As she moved to close it behind her, she saw him. Joel. Standing just outside the door, leaning against the wall. Waiting for her.

"Lisa. Have you thought about it?" he asked softly, turning his dark green eyes up to her. He raised one hand to comb his fingers nervously through his dirty blonde hair. "Not that I'm really…Not to pressure you, or anything."

"I haven't had a lot of time to think," she lied easily. Even as she spoke the words, House's philosophy came back to her. _'Everybody lies'_ he'd said. "I need something to actually think about first. Give me one good reason I shouldn't walk away right now."

"You can't leave me alone like this. You're too deep in my soul," he answered, reaching his raised hand out to comb through Lisa's softly curled hair. "It hurts to be with you, Lis. It hurts more to be away. I'm so sorry I caused you so much pain last year…I honestly didn't mean to. It was their idea," he explained, referring to his two best friends. "They thought you were too good for me. I realize now that they were wrong."

"Don't give me that, Hartman. I'm not buying it," she glared stepping away from him. Her brown eyes hardened as he matched her steps, staying close to her even as she tried to get away. He reached out and took hold of both of her arms, turning to pin her against the wall.

"I'm not trying to sell you anything, _Cuddy_," he returned, forcing her surname past his lips, anger at her use of his own surname in addressing him evident. Shaking his head, he let gentleness back into his voice. "Lisa, honey, babe…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to snap like that. It's hard for me to go without alcohol, but I'm doing it for you. Don't you see that?" He moved closer to her, gazing into her eyes, locking their gazes. Slowly, he leaned forward, lowering his lips to hers. His tongue traced along her lower lip. Surprised, Lisa parted her lips in a gasp, and Joel took advantage of the sudden openness, sliding his tongue into her mouth, running it along her own tongue.

Against her will, Lisa moaned, her eyes sliding closed. Her mind started to fire warning signals when she felt his lips quirk against hers. He was smirking, and everything in her was telling her to force him back, to run as far away as she could. But he was so gentle with her that she ignored those warnings, seriously considering kissing back. Those thoughts vanished as the claxons in her mind blared, startling her back to her senses as his one of his hands slid down her back to cup her butt.

"What do you think you're doing?" she shrieked, dropping her books in shock and pushing him away. It was only now that she registered that the door next to them had opened again. Afraid to turn her head to see who was standing there, she glared straight ahead. She knew who it was, and she was greatly ashamed of herself for allowing Joel so close to her.

"Just promise me you'll think about it, okay?" Joel replied, ignoring her question completely, ignoring the man standing in the door of the classroom. When Lisa didn't reply, Joel turned and walked away, making a show of looking dejected. When he'd gone, she bent to pick up her books and papers.

"I'll get them," House offered, taking the couple steps to her side, dropping to one knee to gather up her things. His brow furrowed, his blue eyes narrowed in something akin to contempt. Not contempt for Lisa…never for Lisa. Standing again to see her leaning back against the wall, looking about ready to cry, he transferred her things to one hand, setting the other one on her shoulder in an awkward, comforting gesture. Deciding it would be better, more tactful, to not tell her he'd seen the whole kiss, he merely said, "You should be careful." Holding out her books, he didn't meet her eyes, some small part of him feeling betrayed by something that he was sure he wasn't supposed to have seen.

Nodding, Lisa took back her books, clutching them tightly to her chest. She turned her head away, refusing to let House see her shame, her tears. "I…I should go…" she said, her voice tight. The unshed tears burned behind her eyes, and she ran down the hall before she could let them fall, unknowing of the concerned look House had given her.

Feeling a presence behind him, Greg turned slightly to see that Doctor Arnold had exited the room and was waiting most impatiently to be acknowledged.

"House. I need to speak with you about something."

"Of course, Doctor." He turned fully, giving his mentor his full attention. Vaguely, he wondered if the older man had seen or overheard his encounter with Lisa. "What is it?"

"I'd like to ask you to expand your duties as my assistant," Doctor Arnold began. "What I'm going to ask…order…you to do will undoubtedly help you to become a better doctor, which is what I'm supposed to be making you."

"Of course, sir," he gave the expected response. Greg allowed himself to feel relieved. This wasn't going to be about what had just occurred. "I'll do whatever you need me to."

"There is a problem with one of my students. I'm sure you've noticed as you've been grading assignments, haven't you? Miss Cuddy's grades are slipping." Greg nodded, suddenly afraid of what he was going to be told to do. "Since infectious disease is your area of interest, I'm going to ask you to tutor her. She is one of my brightest students, and I have no desire to see her fail my class. You're her best hope for passing my course, House."

"I understand, sir. When do I…um…begin these new duties?"

"Immediately." Doctor Arnold turned around and re-entered the classroom. Greg stood there in the hall, unmoving, unblinking, as the next wave of students began flooding the halls on their way to class. Of course he'd noticed that Lisa was doing less-than-admirably. He'd been meaning to ask if it had anything to do with her ex stalking her, but hadn't gotten the chance. And when he'd seen her earlier in his arms, any thoughts of confronting her about her grades vanished from his mind, replaced by something he didn't understand. Something he could not put a name to, having never felt anything like it before.

Now that he was being asked to tutor her, he was going to be forced into close quarters with her more often than he'd chosen to be around her lately. As he turned and walked away the way Lisa had run, he couldn't decide whether that was good or bad.


	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7: Only Hope-

**Friday, September 28, 1984**

Greg had been sitting at the usual table in the usual corner of the library for twenty minutes reading Doctor Arnold's copy of the course textbook. A light frown had become a semi-permanent feature since the previous day when he had been given the order to tutor the one woman he didn't want to get close to. But, he supposed there was an upside. He would be able to save her from making a terrible mistake if she was seriously considering returning to her ex. He glanced again at his watch, his frown deepening slightly as he watched the seconds tick by and the minute hand move once more.

"Sorry…got held up by a couple friends." Greg let his eyes move from his watch to Lisa's face. She certainly looked as if she'd run here. Of course, looking at her face led him to looking at the rest of her. Her curly hair was windblown, and her eyes were lit up with the adrenaline produced from the run. Against his better judgment, he allowed his eyes to travel down her lithe form. A form-fitting soft pink sweater complimented the creamy white skirt nicely. He couldn't see anything lower than her knees, which was probably a good thing. Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to her face as she took the seat across from him.

"Can I…can I ask you something?" He left the textbook open on his lap, hidden from view by his angle and his feet on the table as they usually were. He betrayed no emotion in his eyes or his voice.

"Sure," Lisa answered, setting her novel down on next to her on the tabletop. He didn't try to read the title; he didn't care. He could see her eyes dim as she caught her breath. "What is it?"

"Are…are you free tonight?" As soon as the words were out, Greg realized how many ways that could possibly be construed. "That's not what I meant…" he added, uncharacteristically flustered. "What I meant was…" Sighing, he lowered his feet from the table, laying the textbook on the table in front of him. "I'm not looking for a date, Lisa…I just want to make that perfectly clear. Are you free tonight?"

"Yeah…why?" she asked, raising one eyebrow. Why would he possibly feel the need to tell her he didn't have any interest in dating her after asking her how much free time she had? "And I'm glad you're not looking for a date…you're at least six years older than me."

"Thanks for that. Makes me feel so much better knowing that I'm too old for you," he remarked to her second statement, ignoring her question for the time being. He had no idea why he felt like being sarcastic and bitter about her observation. It was true there was a considerable age difference, but that didn't mean anything. Even if he was interested in her, having anything to do with her private life was against the rules he'd agreed to follow.

She recognized the bitterness in his tone and immediately looked guilty. "I'm sorry, Doctor House…I didn't mean that the way it sounded…" She was grateful when his look softened. "Now…why did you need to know if I'm free tonight?" she asked again.

"Because," he sighed, turning the textbook around and pushing it towards her. "You're failing Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. I've been asked to tutor you. Three nights a week, starting immediately." He didn't miss the flush that came over her at his words. Narrowing his eyes, Greg stared at her, contemplating her reaction. "Why?" That got her to look up.

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you failing? Doctor Arnold is concerned about you. That's why he asked me to tutor you. Why are you failing? I need to know so that we can work on eliminating the distraction."

"I've got a possessive stalker ex boyfriend…" she started, thinking it sounded like a logical excuse. She couldn't tell House she was failing the course because she was staring at him grading papers and composing his music instead of reading her textbook. She didn't even know why she was so enthralled with him. She just couldn't stop staring in class, and she found herself looking forward to their scheduled encounters more and more, and she sometimes sought to have random encounters with him. Not that the latter ever worked out properly. "I'm too busy worrying about where he'll corner me next to focus on my work, I guess."

That would make sense, Greg thought, if she was failing her other classes too. He'd spoken with Doctor Arnold that morning about it, and was assured it was only his class she was having trouble in. So he figured she was lying, at least in part. But he wouldn't press her. She'd confess the truth when she felt ready…or when he got tired of hearing her lies. "Which days do you want me to tutor you? Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?" She had the class everyday except Friday, so if they took the routine he suggested, he could observe her patterns a bit better.

"Yeah…I guess that works…" Lisa agreed, shrugging indifferently. She bit her lip, gazing down at the textbook in front of her instead of at House. If he was going to be tutoring her, there was no way he'd miss the looks. It was hard for Lisa to admit it, but she had to stop lying to at least herself. She had a crush on Greg. She figured it was a schoolgirl crush, that it would go away in time. So why let anyone know about it?

"Lisa," he started, reaching across the table to put two fingers under her chin. Pushing her head up, he met her eyes. She shivered slightly at the contact, not just skin-to-skin, but eye-to-eye. She would not let him see it. She couldn't. So she did nothing, said nothing. "Promise me you'll take this seriously. Doctor Arnold doesn't want to see you fail his class. I don't either. You are an intelligent young woman; don't let anyone, especially not your 'possessive stalker ex boyfriend'," here, he had to laugh, and his stomach clenched in the strangest way when she smiled. It looked forced, but it was still a smile. "tell you otherwise. I've been assigned as your tutor because it's my area of interest. I'm your only hope for passing the course."

"I understand. I promise I'll take this seriously, Doctor House," she replied back, blinking slightly at the look he gave her.

"The 'doctor' thing is so formal…Call me either 'Greg' or 'House'. Whichever works better for you." He shrugged, sitting back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the table again. "Where should we meet for these little study sessions?" He quirked a brow at her, smiling a little.

"I think we could get away with meeting in my room…I don't have a roommate, and the girls bring guys in all the time." Lisa was astounded with herself. She could not believe she had invited a guy she'd only known for a month into her dorm room. Sure, it was only to study, but _still_! The rumors would fly…and Joel would be inconceivably jealous. She didn't think she could deal with that, but she couldn't take back her offer; it would be suspicious. Lisa was horrified when she noticed that House was nodding in agreement with her suggestion.

"Sounds good," he smirked. The most interesting blush had covered Lisa's cheeks, and Greg could only wonder what that was about. He'd figure it out soon enough. He was sure of it. "I should probably let you go…I'll see you tonight at 6:30, deal?" Lisa nodded as she stood up. "I gotta get to a study group of my own on the second floor in about…" he looked at his watch, "oh…five minutes."

"Yeah…I should let you get to that," Lisa tried not to be unnerved at the smirk that never left his lips even as he spoke. Without another word from either of them, she turned to leave the library.

She had disappeared behind the shelves when House realized that she had left her novel behind. Reaching across the table, he picked up the book and drew it towards him. Christine. He arched a brow in amusement. Deciding it would be better to go and give it to her now rather than when he saw her for their first tutoring session, he stood and gathered up Doctor Arnold's copy of the class text and Lisa's novel and walked out, following her footsteps.

He didn't see her making her way back across the quad through the window he stood near, but he did see something that quite unnerved him. He wasn't sure why his blood was suddenly boiling, why he had the sudden urge to beat the younger man with a lacrosse stick, but he felt it all the same as he gazed through the window at Joel Hartman leaning into Lisa Cuddy, his hand covering her breast, his lips locked passionately with hers. Her eyes were closed and she didn't seem to mind his hand moving down her side to slip underneath her sweater. She didn't seem to mind too much when Joel pressed closer to her. Then something changed, and she was suddenly pushing him back away from her. There was a heated conversation, although Greg couldn't hear what was being said. Whatever Lisa said, though, seemed to drive Joel away. The younger man stalked away, and Greg followed his path with his eyes, the clear blue irises taking on an icy edge as the brows above them furrowed.

Once the troublesome student was out of sight, Greg schooled his features to appear impassive, and continued on his way out the door. In his approach, he had lost sight of Lisa, and so when he pulled the large wooden doors opened, he was surprised to find that she was nowhere to be seen. Until he spotted her quickly retreating form.

Glancing down at the horror novel he held in his hand, he decided not to follow her. If she was upset about what had happened with Joel, something he was sure that once again he was not intended to have witnessed, he would allow her time to cool off. He would see her in a few hours, so he tucked the book into his other hand, behind the instructor's textbook. Turning his gaze quickly to his watch, he swore loudly. Late for his study group with the other interns of the campus hospital, he turned and reentered the library, moving as quickly as he dared to the second floor.


	8. Chapter 8

-Chapter 8: Lessons Learned-

**Friday, September 28, 1984**

Six thirty came all too soon for Lisa, and the day had passed in such a rush as it was. As soon as she had left the library, she had seen Joel standing outside, leaning casually against a pillar. He had looked up at her as soon as she'd exited the building.

_--"Joel? What are you doing here?" Lisa asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Though something in the back of her mind nagged at her to stay away, she walked toward him._

"_I had to see you again…I wanted to see you again, Lis." He smiled at her, the smile he'd given her the first time he'd asked her out. "I can't seem to get you out of my head."_

_She came to a stop in front of him, and he reached out a hand to touch her face. His fingertips made contact and her heart fluttered. She realized in that moment that she was being contradictory. She couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why she was drawn back to Joel and his kind words and promises of sobriety even though he had broken her heart, and still have these unexplainable feelings for a man she had known for only a month, but knew she had more in common with him than she did with the man who was currently drawing her into his embrace. Joel was leaning close to her, and she found her protests dying on her lips as he kissed her deeply, gently parting her lips with his tongue, and she didn't resist; Lisa even began to return the kiss wholeheartedly. Moaning into his mouth, she was unable to find it in herself to care as his hand drifted to cup her breast, massaging it gently through her sweater. She didn't resist, or even try to pull away when his hand slid down and wormed its way under the fabric, ghosting over the material of her bra. Everything she was feeling ground to a screeching halt when the clasp of her bra came undone under Joel's expert fingers._

_Pushing him away, she couldn't believe the triumphant smirk that was set into place on his features._

"_What are you looking so smug for, you bastard?" she asked angrily._

"_You kissed me back. It means you've thought about it, right? You will take me back, won't you?" Joel looked at her, his eyes roving hungrily over her body. The self-centered smirk never left his lips._

"_I'll never take you back. You're such an ass, Joel!" His face fell suddenly, and he cast her a single confused look before turning and storming off. Lisa stood there for a few moments, attempting to compose herself. Unable to do so, she ran across the quad toward her dorm, the tears flowing freely._

_Once she was safely back in her room, she reached back behind her, struggling to reclip her bra without snagging the knit of her sweater. After catching the hook a couple times, she gave up. Stripping, she wrapped a towel around herself and gathered up what she would need for a shower. A cold shower. To wash away all of the forcefully-repressed sexual urges Joel's kiss had awoken in her.--_

Once she'd finished her shower, she'd returned to her room feeling much calmer than she had been since the school year had begun. She dressed quickly, then took out her diary. She wrote furiously of her crush on Gregory House, the feelings Joel had reawakened in her, her confusion over whether she should trust Joel who broke her heart, or House who told her that everybody lies. She wrote everything that came to her mind, and she hardly registered falling asleep, her head resting half on her arm, half on the open pages of her diary.

Lisa wasn't sure how long she'd slept, but she woke quickly, the side of her face sticking to the pages of her diary, when she heard the insistent knocking at her door. Peeling the book off of her cheek and closing it before hiding it away under her mattress.

"Come in," she called, glancing at the clock. It was 6:35. House had been knocking on her door for five minutes while she slept. When the door opened and he entered, holding the textbook from earlier, she gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry…I was writing in my diary and must have fallen asleep." She started a bit when he held something out to her.

"You left it in the library…" he said by way of explanation. "I was going to give it back to you when I realized you'd forgotten it, but you'd already left." He shrugged vaguely, as if he didn't really care. But he did. He cared about why he was hiding the truth of what he'd seen outside the library from someone who he was certain he could never have a relationship with, even if he wasn't bound by the code of ethics. But then, he figured, if by lying to her, he figured out what she was hiding, why she was failing the class she claimed was one of her favorites.

"Thanks," she tried to smile, but only yawned, as she reached for her novel. Taking it, she set it on the writing desk next to the bed. "So…are we doing ground rules this time, or are we just gonna dive right in?" House leaned against her desk, staring at the ground.

"I think we're going to set a few ground rules. First off, sessions begin at 6:30...sharp." He turned his eyes up to meet hers. "Second. No lying. If I ask you something, I expect an honest answer…how am I going to help you if you give me false information?" Greg was pleased when she agreed to that one. "Third. When you think of a question…that relates to the lesson…do not hesitate to ask. By asking questions early on, you get better in class, and I get through my internship. Deal?" Again, she agreed, and something in him stirred.

"Now. I'm going to ask you again." Greg pushed himself up and away from her desk to walk around to face her. "Why are you failing Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease?"

"I…" Damn. She was bound now by his no-lying rule. She'd die if he found out she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. "I can't concentrate…" It was as close to the truth as she was going to give him. He seemed to buy it, however, but continued to ask her questions.

"Why? What's distracting you?"

"A lot," she replied evasively, keeping her face neutral. Him, for one thing. Maybe her schoolgirl crush was more than that? "Those two cheerleaders who sit behind me cause most of the problems," which had been true two weeks before. Lately, she'd been blocking them out because they interfered with her admiration of the musician at the front of the room. She had to suppress a sigh as she thought of it. She'd always had a bit of a soft spot for musicians. The fact that the man before her was also an athlete did nothing to keep her from staring.

"I'll ask Doctor Arnold to rearrange the seats then. Next Friday, we'll see if that helps," he nodded, and she found herself feeling no small measure of relief that he had believed her. She nodded in agreement, too elated that she could continue to have his music playing in the background of her dreams to feel the guilt of breaking his trust in her.


	9. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9: Evidence-

**Friday, October 19, 1984**

It was like clockwork. Every other day, always the same time. Always in the evening. Joel had first noticed that something was going on the Monday after Lisa had rejected him. He'd given her the requisite weekend to cool off, and had gone to her room to make amends. But he never quite got that far. He was halfway to her dorm when he saw _him_ moving towards the same building. Keeping out of sight, he had followed the older man, curious as to what business he would have in the women's residence hall. Staying at a distance, he waited until the doctor was in the building before entering himself. A sick mixture of shock and jealousy spread over his features when he knocked on the door to Room 198.

Lisa Cuddy's room.

Joel's heart sank when she opened the door, greeting the man with a warm smile and his name…his given name. His heart broke when he realized that she would never look at him like that. She would never smile at him with that kind of adoration, her eyes would never light up when he came around.

He was sure that this wasn't just a one-time deal. So every night, he watched, waited. Until he found out the pattern. Three nights a week, his nemesis would enter the dorms, knock on Lisa's door, and disappear inside for two hours. He would leave looking very smug and proud of himself, and she would lean against her door frame, her eyes alight, thanking him profusely for all he had done.

Tonight was the third week, the ninth time that they would meet. Joel had kept count. And each time he hid in the shadows, watching the older man leave, seeing the look on Lisa's face, his heart would break a little more. He made sure that he would be there before Doctor House. He would find out what was going on. So at six, he knocked on her door. He heard her moving inside the room, and felt his spirits soar somewhat.

He caught the brief look of happiness on her face as she opened the door, but seconds later, her expression hardened into one of disdain.

"What do you want, Joel?" she asked, her voice flat and emotionless.

"Can I come in?" he returned, trying to look as casual as possible, trying so very hard not to let his jealousy show. Trying to hide the fact that he knew that her secret lover would be there in half an hour. Lisa didn't answer, but stepped aside, granting him entrance to her room. Grateful that she had not turned him away, he stepped over the threshold, taking in the décor. The door shut behind him, and he turned to see Lisa leaning back against it, her arms crossed, her features still set in stony annoyance at his presence.

"I'm waiting…" she pressed, tilting her head to the side. He loved it when she did that. It made her look so young and innocent. So deliciously innocent. He wanted to taste her again, to kiss her, touch her, see her writhe beneath him. Before he could control those urges, he was in front of her, one hand raised to cup her face.

His lips were on hers before she could push him away, his body pressed so closely to her own, she could feel everything. _Everything_. He was hard, and Lisa was suddenly more afraid of him than she had ever been since the day she had met him. Raising her hands to his chest, she pushed him back forcefully.

"What the hell? I already told you, I'm not taking you back. You're a pathetic jerk. I don't know what I ever saw in you…"

"Lisa. I'm tired of this game. I know you're playing hard to get. I know you're trying to make me jealous." Joel seemed completely unaffected by her refusal. For a moment, Lisa thought he might have lied to her; that he was drunk. But she stopped that thought. He was completely sober, and she hadn't smelled or tasted any alcohol on his lips when he'd kissed her. But his words jarred her.

"Jealous? Why would I be trying to make you jealous?"

"You miss me just as much as I miss you. You want me back, I know it. Why else would you have _him_ over all the time?" He moved back to stand in front of her, reaching out a hand to run his fingers through her hair. She twisted her head away.

"You bastard. I'm not playing any games with you. I'm not playing hard to get. I'm most certainly not using Greg to make you jealous! I told you already. I. Will. NOT. Take. You. Back."

"You used his name…" he gasped, taking half a step back. His heart shattered. His very soul felt as if it was splitting in two.

"Yeah. So what?" Greg was her friend, she could use his given name if she wanted. He'd pretty much told her he preferred it over the formal alternative. "I can't believe you're jealous of Gregory House." She shook her head. "You asshole! We're not dating. He's not my lover. He has no romantic interest in me whatsoever."

"Then what is he doing here every other fucking day?" Joel practically shouted. Lisa had said nothing about her own feelings for House. The thought stuck at the back of Joel's mind that she had some romantic feelings for him that she would never admit to, since it sounded as if he didn't return them. No matter. Joel had plenty of feelings for Lisa. He'd be here to give her another emotional channel.

"He's…" Lisa stopped, noting the suddenly feral look in her ex boyfriend's eyes. "He's helping me study," she finished quite lamely. Joel's fierce look turned even more predatory at those words.

"If that's the case, then there's nothing stopping me from doing this," he whispered, leaning close to her. His lips were mere centimeters away from her own, and she pushed back against him

"Damn it, Joel! Will you stop that? I don't love you anymore. I'm not sure I ever did. I refuse to take you back…not after what you did to me." She was surprised when he reached into the back pocket of his jeans, almost scared of what he was pulling out. A photo…?

"Lisa. Take me back. Or I sell this to the school newspaper." Holding the photo between two fingers, he held it up for her to see. Her eyes widened, brimming with tears. "You wouldn't want all of University of Michigan finding out their favorite little teacher's pet has a naughty schoolgirl side, would you?" he threatened. "Take me back, or everyone and their dog finds out about your pretty pink panties." He didn't care that there were tears streaming down her face. He didn't care that she glared daggers at him, a look that promised pain and suffering. He didn't care that her hands were balled into fists at her sides. All he cared about was that she turned her head away, nodding in agreement.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight," he whispered, smirking victoriously, dropping the racy photo at her feet. She stepped away from the door to let him leave, waiting until the door had closed behind him to run to her bed, collapsing in a sobbing heap on her pillows.

At exactly 6:30, there was a soft tapping at her door, her name softly spoken. But she didn't hear it through her weeping-induced coma. She was so dead asleep that she didn't hear the door open.

"Lisa?" Greg asked, staring at her figure lying in a heap on her bed. Stepping closer, he could see the dried-up rivers of tears across her cheeks. The sight tugged at his heart and he wondered what had caused her so much pain to make her cry herself to sleep. Looking around the room, he spotted a small rectangle of paper by the door. Moving to pick it up, he stopped, unsure if it was something she would want him to see. His curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned down to take the card between his fingers.

The image the photo presented sent all sorts of electrical signals through Greg's body. The longer he gazed at the picture, even knowing that he shouldn't stare, the more he became aware of the insistent twitching in his jeans as his brain registered what exactly he was seeing, relaying the image straight to his cock. Arching a brow, he tore his gaze from the picture to the woman lying on the bed.

It was amazing how the woman who had cried herself to sleep, presumably over this photo, could look like she did in the picture. His eyes returned to the photo, unable to look away from the strangely erotic image for too long.

The Lisa Cuddy in the photo was stretched out, her upper body propped up on half a dozen pillows, one hand behind her head, the other arm laying lazily along her side. Her breasts looked like they would spill out of the lacy bra that held them at any moment, and the matching panties left so little to the imagination. Greg's breath caught in his throat, and he looked back at the undergrad who slept on, oblivious to his presence. Wonderfully oblivious to his arousal. For which he was thankful.

The image burned into his mind, he returned the photo to the exact place and position he had found it in. She would never know that he had seen the picture, unless he told her. And he would never tell her. The thought of waking her up to begin their tutoring session never crossed his mind. The only thing he was thinking about was the completely expected, not entirely unwelcome, reaction his body had had to the photo. He bit back a moan, deciding it would be much more productive at this point if he returned to his apartment and took care of the problem in his pants.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, people. There's masturbation in this chapter, just to let you know. The chapter title is a reference to the album by Billy Joel. Song lyric titles are at the end. All lyrics c Billy Joel, 1983

* * *

-Chapter 10: An Innocent Man-

**Friday, October 19, 1984**

Greg wasted no time returning to the third floor apartment he rented. As quickly as he could, he fit the key into the lock, twisting and jarring it until the door flew open. Closing the door behind him, he leaned heavily against it, tossing his keys to the side. The silence of the apartment pounded in his ears, making it all the more difficult to concentrate coupled with the image of Lisa Cuddy in lacy lingerie.

The image was burned into his mind in full clarity. He could remember every single small detail. He closed his eyes tightly, focusing on the image. It was so real that he was sure he'd still see the firm breasts, flat stomach, and long limbs of his student when he opened his eyes. Cracking his eyes open slightly, he let out the moan he'd suppressed before as his mind willed his eyes to see the lovely vision on his couch.

The silence was deafening, and he realized he would need something to mask the sounds he was sure would escape him soon. The last thing he wanted was for one of his neighbors to hear him jacking himself off. He stumbled over to his music collection, taking up the first album that his fingers touched. Bringing it with him to his room, he put it on, and the musical strains of Billy Joel filled the room.

Closing his eyes again, he let the music wash over him. This album was so perfect. Shrugging out of the button down shirt he'd left casually undone, he thought about removing his t-shirt as well. Deciding it would probably be a good idea, he did so, throwing the shirt behind him on his bed before hastily undoing the fastenings of his jeans. Kicking the denim aside, he fell backwards, sinking into the softness of the mattress, his mind supplying all sorts of erotic images.

_You don't have to talk all night__  
I'm a man who can't say no  
__You don't have to twist my arm  
Just point me where you want to go_

As he shifted himself back so that he could rest his head comfortably on his pillows, he rested one hand on his chest, the other taking hold of his discarded t-shirt. The lovely vision of beauty presented in that photo floated before his eyes again, her hair flowing in soft dark curls over the mound of fluffy pillows supporting her. The lace of her panty set was inviting him to touch it. In his mind, he reached out, running his fingertips over the fabric, pressing his palm against the firm mounds of her breasts as the hand on his chest moved downwards, tracing the waistband of his boxers.

The young woman in his mind's eye came to life, reaching behind herself to unclasp the lacy bonds that hid the fullness of her beautiful breasts from his sight. Greg let out a long, low moan as Fantasy!Lisa flung her bra off to the side, out of the parameters of his fantasy. He gripped the waistband of his boxers tightly, tugging them down. The fantasy moaned in appreciation of his asset, standing tall and proud between his legs. His cock ached, and he imagined that it was Lisa's mouth descending on him as the hand not clutching at his t-shirt grasped his penis, his thumb tracing a circle over the head, spreading the slick precum. He pictured her tongue teasing his slit as his thumb continued to move over the tip.

_I know you're only protecting yourself  
I know you're thinking of somebody else  
Someone who hurt you  
But I'm not above making up all the love  
You've been denying you can ever feel  
I'm not above doing anything  
To restore your faith, if I can_

Greg moaned again, his breath caught in his throat as the younger woman in his fantasy took more of his cock into her mouth, even as it was his own hand sliding down the impressive length, spreading precum over the shaft, providing a bit of lubrication. He gripped his cock tightly when he reached the base, pressing on the upper side with his thumb while moving two of his other fingers to brush against his sac. The sensations surging through him were indescribable, and he groaned as he envisioned that it was the wonderful brown curls of Lisa's long hair ghosting against his balls.

"Oh…" he gasped out, tightening his grip on his shaft as the sudden image of Lisa bobbing her head between his thighs presented itself. "Oh, fuck…" If only…

Greg moved his hand back up to the tip, slowly, his fist clenched around his prick, feeling the warm wet heat of Lisa's mouth instead of his fingers.

_And when she knows what  
She wants from her time  
And when she wakes up  
And makes up her mind_

_She'll see I'm not so tough__  
Just because  
I'm in love with an uptown girl_

"Please…" he begged his fantasy. "More….God, yes!" His hand had returned to his tip, and he swirled his thumb around the head again, making himself hiss in pleasure. As if responding to his pleads, the vision removed her mouth from his prick, gazing at him lustfully, her eyelids lowered to half-mast over fathomless brown eyes. Sliding her panties down and tossing them the way of her bra, she rose up in his mind like the Birth of Venus. It was her hand on his cock, not his. She was gripping him tightly, fire under her fingertips burning his soul. She was torturing him, sliding her hand up and down his achingly hard penis, giving him a sultry smile as she gripped the base tightly, teasing him with her wetness.

_Now that you're here  
It's not the same situation  
Suddenly I don't remember the rules anymore_

_This night is mine  
It's only you and I  
Tomorrow  
Is a long time away  
This night can last forever_

"Please," Greg moaned out. "Please…Lisa…" Her name passed his lips on a gasp as his other hand moved to cover his cock with his shirt, simulating the warm folds of a woman's channel. His hand readjusted itself gripping the steel rod of his penis through the fabric of the shirt, and he gasped out Lisa's name again as he moved his hand slowly, his other hand gripping the comforter as he bent his legs at the knees, bracing himself against his mattress as he moaned under the added friction of the cloth.

In his vision, Lisa was tight. Warm, wet, hot, tight, perfect. He could almost feel her hands on his hips, tracing her fingertips over his sides.

"God…Lisa…Lisa…" he whispered, slowly increasing the pace, increasing the friction.

_She ought to know_

_Tell her about it  
Tell her everything you feel  
Give her every reason to accept  
That you're for real_

_Tell her about it  
Tell her all your crazy dreams  
Let her know you need her  
Let her know how much she means_

He whimpered as he slowed his pace, teasing himself. He quickened his hand again, the material of the shirt feeling rough against the sensitive skin of his prick. His eyes were closed so tightly against the sensations his fantasy evoked that tears were forming. He didn't care. He bucked his hips into his fist, urging himself to completion. Each pump of his fist forced a grunt or a groan past his lips.

Even the salty drops trailing over his face heightened his awareness of himself under the shirt under his hand. It took him a moment to realize that the beads of water dripping down his face were not beads of sweat but the tears from his tightly closed eyes. The second he realized that, he realized it was because he didn't want his fantasy to be just a fantasy.

He wanted Lisa Cuddy to really be blowing him. He wanted Lisa Cuddy to actually touch his cock. He wanted Lisa Cuddy to impale herself on his erection exactly as he had pictured her doing.

He wanted to have hot sex with Lisa Cuddy.

_I don't care what consequence it brings  
I have been a fool for lesser things  
I want you so bad  
I think you ought to know that  
I intend to hold you for the longest time_

The very moment that thought registered, her name passed his lips as a scream as he came hard, his ejaculation caught by the shirt. Greg tightened his grip on his prick through the shirt pumping himself until he'd finished. Tossing the stained shirt aside to be washed later, he glared down at the boxers which had somehow made their way down to his ankles. Kicking them off the rest of the way, he shifted himself up and under the blankets.

The strongest thing he felt as he drifted to sleep was guilt. He would never be able to look at her the same way after this. And it pained him. And he could never have what he fantasized about. That realization hurt him more than anything else ever could.

* * *

Song selection 1 - Easy Money  
Song selection 2 - An Innocent Man  
Song selection 3 - Uptown Girl  
Song selection 4 - This Night  
Song selection 5 - Tell Her About It  
Song selection 6 - The Longest Time


	11. Chapter 11

-Chapter 11: All I Wanna Do…-

**Saturday, October 20, 1984**

Lisa stayed in her room all day, except to eat, go to the bathroom, and take a shower. She wrote in her diary, worked on her homework, wondered vaguely why Greg hadn't come to study the night before. She would have to ask him the next time she saw him. In the meantime, she reread the section of her infectious disease textbook that he had assigned her to read. The section they should have covered the night before. She read, and studied, and looked over her notes until a quarter to eight.

Sighing, she hauled herself up from her writing desk, moving to her wardrobe. A simple black dress would be sufficient, she thought. She wasn't going to deck herself out for Joel. He didn't deserve to see her looking her best. So she just put on the dress and a pair of simple black heels. Lisa didn't bother to brush her hair or put her make up on. She didn't bother to put on any jewelry. She didn't care. She was only doing this to protect her reputation.

Any other girl would have done the same.

When the knock came, she wasn't surprised. When she opened the door, however, all thought processes stopped.

"Greg…" she whispered. "What are you doing here?" The question was spoken at normal volume. She almost missed the hitch in his breath when she'd said his name.

"I wanted to apologize…about not coming to our study session last night." Greg searched his mind, looking for something that wasn't the truth, but it wasn't quite a lie either. Finally, he settled on, "Something…came up." And he prayed that 'something' would stay down as he subtly glanced over her body, trying in vain to resist the urge to imagine what color her underwear was.

"Oh. That's fine. Really…I had a bad day, anyways."

Greg almost didn't catch the sudden sadness and anger in her eyes as she spoke those words. For some reason, he found himself reaching out and pulling her to his chest, stroking her hair with one hand. It was softer than he imagined it would be. After a moment, he released her from the hug, hooking two fingers under her chin. His heart beat faster when she met his eyes.

"If you ever need to talk…you know I'm here for you." It was only now that he noticed what she was wearing. "You look…nice," he said before he could stop himself.

Still a little surprised from the sudden, but very much welcome, embrace, she only managed to nod in response to his reassurance and subsequent compliment. After a couple awkward moments, she found her voice again.

"I…I have a date. In about five minutes." Lisa prayed he wouldn't ask who. She didn't think she'd be able to stomach the look on his face if he found out she'd done exactly what he told her not to do. Her hopes sank with his next words.

"You took him back, didn't you?" There was pain in his voice. He didn't know why he was so upset by the notion. After all, his interest in her was purely sexual. He didn't have to care if she was in a relationship to masturbate to her. He didn't have to care what her motives were for taking back her ex to have his fantasies. But he wanted her. He couldn't have her if she was with someone else. "Why?"

"I had to…" There was something in her eyes that he couldn't place as she gazed up at him. Fear? Had he threatened her? "I have to go." She pulled away from him, moving past him, leaving her door open. He figured she'd done that on purpose, since closing it behind her before walking away from him would have caused her to press her body against him for a few seconds. But her arm still brushed against his arm as he stepped aside slightly to let her pass. As she disappeared around the corner, he fought with himself for a brief moment about whether to enter her room, or respectfully close her door. Taking half a step into the room, he made his decision.

His hand reached out and pulled the door closed before he walked down the hall and leaned against the wall. Joel was probably outside picking her up, and being seen leaving right after her wouldn't look good. Peering around the corner, he could see through a window, and his suspicions were confirmed. Joel was outside, leaning against the open passenger-side door of his car. He saw Lisa climb into the car, watched Joel shut the door and walk around to the driver's side. Once the car had pulled away, Greg felt that it was safe to leave.

* * *

"So where are you taking me, exactly?" Lisa asked for the tenth time as Joel drove down an unfamiliar stretch of road.

"You'll see when we get there," he answered back, clearly annoyed. She sighed and leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms. She sat in silence, staring out the window. They finally pulled up outside a dark building, and Lisa wasn't sure she wanted to see what was going on inside it. She paid no attention to Joel cutting the engine and stepping out of the car. She barely managed to contain her shock as he opened her door for her. She stepped out of the car, ignoring his offered hand. She glared at him when he raised her hand and wrapped her arm around one of his. He ignored the look and led her to the entrance.

Presenting two slips of paper, he guided her into the building and into a balcony. The curtains covering the stage below were beginning to open on a familiar set.

"You got tickets to my favorite opera?" she asked, turning wide and incredulous eyes to Joel. He merely nodded and leaned over to kiss her lips.

"I'd do anything for you, Lisa," he answered as the opera began.

As the show wore on, Joel found himself growing quite bored. He hated opera, but this was the only way he could think of to get Lisa back into bed with him. He took great delight in watching her, however. There was something to be said about the beauty of a woman enthralled.

Lisa was in the best mood she'd been in for a while as the curtains closed and she was among the first to rise and applaud. As soon as she was standing, Joel stood as well, setting a hand on her arm.

"Let's go now…" he whispered, stepping impossibly close to her. "Want you now," he breathed, ghosting the words across the shell of her ear. Surprised, she let herself be led back to his car. Her features slowly changed as he drove back to the campus. She was positively livid when he pulled up outside the residence hall and moved to open her door for her.

"You took me to my favorite opera just so you could have sex with me?" she asked, her hurt masking the anger she felt. He didn't deny it, nor did he confirm it. He merely reached into the car and grabbed her arm. Pulling her out of the car, he slammed the door and pushed her against it, leaning into her. She squirmed as she felt his erection digging into her flesh.

"You should know me by now, Lis," he muttered, laying kisses up her neck, capturing her lips with his. He effectively cut off all protest by thrusting his tongue into her mouth. When he finally pulled back, he stared deep into her eyes. "Besides. If you don't let me make love to you…the campus paper gets the photo. And I know how to make sure it makes the front page," he shot her a sinister smirk. "I will have you, Lisa." He kissed her again, roughly, before pulling her away from the side of the car and forcing her to lead the way back to her bedroom.


	12. Chapter 12

This chapter has some non-con...so there's the warning.  


* * *

-Chapter 12: …Is Make Love to You-

**Saturday, October 20, 1984**

Joel wrenched open the door to her room, pushing her in before closing and locking the door behind him. He shrugged out of his dress jacket, loosening his tie. Kicking off his shoes, he stalked toward Lisa. Gripping her arms tightly, he pressed himself close to her, crashing his lips against hers, forcing her lips apart with his tongue. As soon as he snaked his tongue into her mouth, she bit down.

Instead of driving him away, it drove him to plunder her mouth more deeply, his tongue mapping out the once-familiar territory. He loosened his grip on her arms, moving his hands up her shoulders to slide the straps of the dress down. For once, he was thankful that she owned a dress that she didn't have to zip up. It meant that he could get her undressed a lot quicker. Tilting his head for better access, he pulled her arms out of the straps, tugging the material down away from her chest, forcing the dress down over her hips.

Breaking the kiss, took hold of her arms again, guiding her to the bed and pushing her down onto the mattress. He stripped himself down, leaving his tie loose around his neck, removing even his boxers before climbing onto the bed, straddling Lisa's body. Leaning down to kiss her again, he grabbed both of her wrists to keep her from reaching for his tie.

"I'm gonna make sure you enjoy this just as much as I will," he muttered, transferring one of her wrists to his other hand, removing his tie completely. Wrapping the material around her wrists, he fastened her arms to the headboard. His hands trailed down her arms, under her back. Expertly, he undid the clasp of her bra. Realizing that he probably should have removed it before tying her up, he merely slipped the material up her arms, flinging it over the back of the headboard. He wasn't going to set her free just for that. "You're so beautiful, Lisa…" he breathed reverently, leaning down to take one of her nipples into his mouth. He bit down hard on the soft nub, his cock surging at her cry of pain. Quickly, he rolled his tongue over the flesh, sucking slightly before doing the same to her other nipple.

While his lips were so occupied, his hands had trailed down her sides, teasing the soft flesh above the waistband of her panties. She whimpered, turned on so completely against her will. She fought the wetness that flooded her as he slipped her panties down, his tongue caressing her breasts despite the soreness of her nipples where he'd bitten them so hard. Of course the roughness was a huge turn-on for her, but really…he didn't need to bite _that_ hard. Out the corner of her eye, she saw her underwear being flung to the side and she closed her eyes tightly as Joel settled himself between her legs, pulling them up and gripping her hips tightly.

Her eyes flew open as he began to push into her without even bothering to see if she was ready. She muffled her scream by biting her lip. It _hurt_. More than their first time. Her first time. His words, and the pleasure she could hear in them, hung over her as she closed her eyes again.

"God, Lisa…you're so tight…."

"You…you bastard!" Lisa managed to gasp out as Joel sheathed himself in her. Her breath caught as she felt the fullness of his swollen shaft in her channel.

"I know." He leaned down, pressing a hard, demanding kiss to her lips. She didn't kiss back. "You disappoint, me, Lisa. You used to love it rough." As if to emphasize this point, he pulled back and thrust forward, slamming into her. His lips quirked as she moaned. "You love it rough, don't you? Tell me you love it rough…"

"I…" she groaned, arching into him involuntarily. She had no control over her cognitive functions, and Joel had complete control over her. Lisa had to force the words out, knowing he wouldn't move otherwise. "I love it rough, Joel…you know I love it rough." Her prediction turned out to be correct as he pulled back and slammed forward again, keeping her hips elevated. She needed him to hit her G-spot, but he wasn't at the right angle. She tried to fix that, but his hands gripped her hips harder.

"Don't fucking move," he ground out, ceasing his movements. "Tell me what you want…" She wanted him to let her go so she could let him bring her to her completion, but he didn't want to hear that. So she told him what she knew he wanted to hear.

"I want you to fuck me…" she hissed, hating herself. "I want you to be rough with me…" She knew she had him convinced when he started moving again. She whimpered. Not because of the sensations he was causing her to feel, because that was just it. She didn't feel anything. Joel didn't care about her pleasure. He was ignoring her clitoris. He wasn't even trying to find her G-spot. He was using her.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard, Lisa…" Joel groaned as he buried his shaft into her body, completely oblivious to the fact that she was receiving absolutely no pleasure from the act. He plunged his cock into her, and her eyes flew open in time to see his own close tightly, feeling his hands gripping her hips tightly enough to leave bruises, trying in vain to block out the sound of her name spilling from his lips as he came in her.

After a moment, he pulled out, his cock making a very unpleasant sound as it slipped from her vagina. He unwrapped his tie from her wrists, kissing her hungrily as he did so.

"I'll let you know when the next date is," he whispered before redressing quickly and leaving the room. Once she was sure he was gone, she burrowed under her blankets, curling into a ball, crying in shame.


	13. Chapter 13

Short chapter, but it's necessary to move the story along.  


* * *

-Chapter 13: Sticks and Stones-

**Thursday, November 1, 1984**

Joel had not approached her again after that night. Lisa didn't know if she should feel relieved or nervous. She had seen him dozens of times on campus, but he never came up to her, too engrossed in conversation with his friends. She supposed it was good, because it meant that he wasn't bothering her, holding that racy photo, taken the year before during their previous relationship, over her head, using it to make her do his bidding. But it was also nerve-wracking.

Lisa couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. She'd been feeling off the past two weeks, and she'd been quiet and distracted. House had noticed it during their study sessions, she was sure. She knew it from the way he asked her the review questions, the way he looked at her. The way he would grow quiet, waiting for her to focus on him or the textbook before saying anything.

Thankfully, he hadn't asked about it. She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him that she'd completely ignored his warnings. She wasn't sure she wanted to admit out loud that she'd ignored her feelings for her tutor. And she knew there were feelings. She only realized it as she sat in her room, stretched out on her stomach on her bed, her favorite pillow tucked underneath her chest as she wrote in her diary.

_Oh, Diary, I don't know what I should do. I can't go talk to Joel…I'm afraid of what he'll do. What he'll say. I can't put myself in that position. I was supposed to start my cycle today, but it hasn't come yet. I'm afraid that I may be pregnant. But I can't be! My career will be ruined! Should I get an examination? I'm sure Greg_ she scratched his name out, writing his title next to it_…Doctor House would be willing to do it. In a completely professional way, of course._

_I know what you're thinking, Diary. I talk a lot about House to you. You're probably sick of hearing Greg this and Greg that. But I can't help it. He's all I think about. I dream about him, Diary. Last night, I dreamed of him again. He was on stage with his piano…have I told you how much I love his piano? Did you know he writes his own music? It's so beautiful, Diary. Where was I? Oh yes…he was on stage with his piano, and I was the only one in the audience. In my dream, he told me he'd arranged for a private recital, and that I was the only one that he wanted to play his music for. Isn't that just so romantic?_

_I think there's something there. Something deep. I don't know, Diary. I think that Greg and I belong together…_

She froze as she wrote that last line. Lisa stared down at the page, her heart thumping madly in her chest. Whenever she put pencil to paper in her diary, she wrote only what she thought. Scanning the page, apparently she'd thought about wanting to see him professionally. Although, now that she looked back over her entry, she wasn't certain that was such a good idea.

What if she told Greg what she felt and he didn't feel the same? Or worse…what if he didn't feel anything at all for her? She didn't think she could handle the heartbreak. Which brought her thoughts back to Joel.

Should she really go talk to him? Glancing at her clock, she figured he would be heading to dinner. She'd intercept him on his way, force him to listen to her for once since he'd blackmailed her back into a relationship. Tell him what she feared. Closing her diary and stuffing it under her pillow, she picked up her jacket from the bedpost.

Getting up from the bed, she pulled the jacket on. She walked to her door, slipping her shoes on before pulling the door open and leaving the room. As she'd predicted, he was on his way to dinner, and she ran to catch up.

"Joel!" she called to get his attention. He stopped, turning to see who had called him. Stopping in front of him, she steeled her gaze. "We need to talk."

"About what?" he drawled, his friends stopping ahead, obviously realizing he wasn't with them anymore. They came up behind him, one on either side.

"About…us." It pained her to no end to use that word. He arched an eyebrow, his own way of telling her that he had her full attention. She took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, arranging her thoughts, choosing her words carefully. "I…"

"Out with it, Cuddy," he remarked, waving his hand in an impatient gesture. Her eyes narrowed at him at his use of her surname.

"I think I'm pregnant." His eyes grew dull and he dropped his hand, brow furrowing. He looked to be thinking for a moment before his features returned to normal. Joel shrugged indifferently.

"So? It's not my problem." At her confused look, he elaborated. "Come on, Lisa. You can't seriously believe that I'm gonna stick around. What would people say? I have a reputation to protect, after all." He seemed oblivious to the tears clouding her vision with every word he uttered. "You were just a good fuck, Lisa. I never wanted anything more than to sleep with you." That being said, he turned back around gesturing to his friends to follow, which they did immediately. He didn't once look back at her as she crumpled to a heap on the grass, her head dropped, her eyes closed, the tears falling freely. Her heart shattered, her soul ripped to shreds by the feeling of abandonment that filled her as Joel faded into the distance. She hardly registered the figure leaning against a nearby tree, watching her.


	14. Chapter 14

-Chapter 14: As Sure As I'm Standing Here

**Thursday, November 1, 1984**

Tired was an understatement. After running around the track for as long as he had, Greg was exhausted. And hot. And sweaty. His nose wrinkled as he thought about going home for a shower before hitting the cafeteria. He was already on his way to his car when he heard her voice. His heart skipped when he heard the name she called.

Stopping, he stared at her, leaning against a tree. He was far enough away that they wouldn't notice him standing there, but he was close enough to hear the conversation. His breath caught and his gut clenched when he heard Lisa's thoughts.

It would certainly explain why she'd been distracted in class and during their regularly scheduled meetings, but his eyes roved over her form. She was showing no classic signs or symptoms. Her hair had no telling shine to it, her skin lacked the healthy glow. Her breasts…God, her breasts. They were firm, but it was due to youth, not pregnancy.

Greg's eyes narrowed in anger as Joel claimed disassociation and walked away, his so-called friends trailing after him. He could feel his heart cracking as he watched her drop to the ground, her shoulders slumped in obvious wracking sobs. He couldn't stand to see her in such pain. Pushing away from the tree, he walked forward, slowly. He didn't want to startle her if she happened to glance up. He made it to her side without a look from her.

She didn't know he was there, didn't know he had seen and heard the whole thing. He dropped to one knee beside her, slowly, gently, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"Lisa…" he whispered, concern etched in his features as she finally noticed him. "Are you alright? Do you need to talk?" She nodded, unable to speak through her tears. "All right. Up with you…" She allowed him to pull her to her feet. "There we go." His hand moved from her shoulder to her face, the pad of his thumb swiping across her cheek, pushing the tears aside. He kept his voice low as he spoke to her. "Come on. Let's go to my apartment…I'm sure you don't want to be around all these people right now."

Lisa shook her head. Greg's hand moved away from her face, down to the middle of her back. Gently, he led her to his car. He opened the passenger side door for her, helping her in. Once she was seated, he closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. He climbed in and keyed the ignition.

They were halfway there when she finally spoke.

"How long were you there?"

"Hm?" he asked, glancing quickly at her to let her know he was listening before turning his eyes back to the road.

"Back there…did you…"

"Yeah. I saw it all. I heard everything." He realized that made it sound like he'd done it on purpose. Sighing, he continued. "I was actually planning on going home and taking a shower. I heard you, and I saw him, and…I'm sorry. I probably should have kept walking. It was none of my business."

"No!" Lisa replied, shocked. "No…" she repeated, softer. "If you hadn't been there…no one else would have offered me a shoulder to lean on. I was going to ask you, as a professional, to double check my assumption, actually." He glanced at her again.

"We're almost there…if you can wait until we get to my apartment, I'll…do a visual." He'd already looked her over, and had found nothing. But she didn't have to know that. He caught the faint blush that covered her cheeks, but didn't comment.

A few minutes later, he parked outside the complex, shutting off the engine. Getting out of the car, he walked around to open her door for her, offering a hand. She took it, and allowed him to help her out of the car. She followed him up to his third floor rooms, and watched as he unlocked the door, holding it open. He indicated that she should enter first, and he followed her in, closing the door behind them.

"It's not much," he said, shrugging. Lisa didn't seem to hear him; she was looking around, walking over to his collection of books and music. He watched her, admiring her in the neutral light of his apartment. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable…I need a shower…kitchen's though there if you want something," he gestured toward the kitchen as he spoke. She nodded, looking where he pointed before turning her wandering gaze to the rest of the living room. He left her to it, turning to walk down the hall to the bathroom.

When he returned twenty minutes later, dressed in clean sweatpants and a t-shirt, she was sitting on his couch, her elbows resting on her knees, her chin on her fists. He walked around the back of the couch, taking a seat next to her. He smiled at her when she looked up.

"Hey. Ready to talk?" She nodded, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. "Take your time," he whispered, shifting closer to her in case she needed to cry on his shoulder. She nodded again, and he was slightly interested to notice her leaning toward him a little.

"I…I can't believe he left me. Again." Lisa shook her head, dropping her hands to her lap.

"Start at the beginning, Lisa," Greg urged, needing to understand everything. He had to know how deeply she was hurt to be able to help her the way she needed to be helped. Again, he thought about why he was doing this if he was only interested in her body. "Why did you go back to him?"

"He blackmailed me, Greg. He threatened me." So, he had been right. He didn't say anything, only raised a hand to ghost over her hair before settling on her shoulder. "He took a photo of me, last year. Before we broke up the first time. I don't know anymore why I let him do it…why I let him talk me into letting him photograph me in my underwear…" she trailed off as his breath hitched. She looked at him, wondering about his reaction.

"That's horrible…" he covered. "That he'd use something so obviously representative of what you used to have together to blackmail you." She nodded in agreement, seeming to believe him. Subtly, he let out the breath he'd held as he'd spoken. His resolve to never tell her he'd masturbated to that photo only deepened. She could never know.

"That was why I'd had such a bad day the night you skipped our study session." Suddenly, her expression changed. "What exactly was it that came up so suddenly, anyway?"

"It's not important…" he answered hastily. She shrugged and continued speaking.

"When he took me out the night you came by, he took me to see my favorite opera. I really, really thought he'd changed, Greg. I thought he really was interested in me again. But…you were right. He was lying. The whole time." He should have felt some sort of egotistical pride at her admittance of his being right. But he didn't.

He was right. It should have been a victory. He always sought to be right, felt a constant need to always be right. But he felt nothing but a gaping hole in his heart. He was right, and it was causing her pain. His hand shifted from the shoulder closest to him across her back to grip her other arm. He didn't say anything as he pulled her into a close embrace.

"He…he made me have sex with him, Greg…I felt so violated!" The words were flowing from her, seemingly without filter, and her face was buried in his chest. He raised his other arm to drag through her hair soothingly, rocking gently. "He blackmailed me into having sex…he used me." He could feel a damp spot forming on his shirt as she started crying.

"Shh…" he soothed, meaning more to stem her tears than to stop her verbal catharsis. "You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Yes, I do! I'll always have to worry about him!" Lisa shook violently in his arms as her sobs wracked her body. "He got me pregnant, and walked out on me… how can I not worry?" His eyes hardened, and he pushed her away, gripping her arms tightly.

"Lisa. Look at me." She kept her eyes down. "Look at me," he repeated, his eyes softening as she finally met his eyes. "You're not pregnant."


	15. Chapter 15

Finally...the moment we've all been waiting for. Enjoy...  


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-Chapter 15: Fall Into Me-

**Thursday, November 1, 1984**

Her eyes searched his, his words barely registering. She couldn't believe him. He hadn't done anything to reach his conclusion, not that she had noticed, at any rate. How could he know she wasn't pregnant without doing anything?

"What?"

"You're not pregnant," he repeated. "What made you think you were? Home test?"

"I don't know…" she answered his first question, ignoring his second. "I was supposed to start my period today…I didn't…" She got more confused when he shook his head. "How do you know I'm not pregnant?"

"You don't look like you are," Greg answered as if it were obvious. At her growing confusion, he elaborated. "Pregnant women tend to…glow. You don't have the classic flush to your skin, or the tell-tale shine to your hair. You're not pregnant. Trust me, Lisa. I am a doctor."

"I…I trust you, Greg," she affirmed, leaning into him. His arms returned to their previous positions around her, his fingers lazily stroking through her hair. "I still can't believe Joel would just…" The tears were starting again, and Greg couldn't, wouldn't, do anything to stop them. Lisa needed to cry right now, and he would let her. He would hold her for as long as she would let him.

"Shh," he soothed again, pulling her closer. "Hush…don't worry about anything. I'm here for you, Lisa. I won't let him near you again." She didn't resist when he hugged her tightly, moving her to a more comfortable position for both of them. Something in Greg's mind told him that this was right, somehow; that he was supposed to be the one comforting her. That he was the one meant to undo all the hurt that Joel had caused Lisa to feel. And before he even registered the thought, his body was moving in reaction to his brain. His arm tightened around her shoulders once more, the hand stroking her hair moved to lift her chin so that their eyes locked.

He could see every tear that clung to each of her eyelashes, could see the shine of them reflected in her deep, sad, brown eyes. Her full lips were parted mid-sob, and he found himself staring at them. Unable to control his own body, he leaned forward, the hand holding her chin reaching up to brush a few strands of hair from her face, and his knuckles ghosted across her cheek. He could swear she shivered in his arms. That minute movement undid him, and his eyes closed as he closed the distance between them, sliding his lips across hers experimentally. If she didn't want it, he wanted to know now. Instead of resisting, she parted her lips a fraction more, and the questioning kiss became more.

His lips pressed harder against hers, and she allowed him to slip his tongue into her mouth. Greg deepened the kiss even more as he felt one of her arms around his neck, her other hand pressed against his chest. Lisa pulled him closer, letting herself fall back onto his couch, her head resting on a corner pillow. He readjusted himself over her, plundering her mouth. He moaned when she returned everything he had given her.

Her tongue snaked over and around his own, and her lips were firm, but pliable under his own. As her own sounds of pleasure coruscated over his tongue, his senses returned to him. He broke away forcefully, tearing his lips from hers. He was certain that every emotion he'd ever felt in his entire life was reflected in his eyes as he gazed down at Lisa.

"We can't do this…It's not right." He tried to push himself up and away from her, but the arm wrapped tightly around his neck prevented him from moving. "It's against the rules."

"I don't think we had a rule like that," Lisa reminded him, thinking of the rules they had set down for their study sessions.

"I have a rule like that," he answered back. "I'm not supposed to get romantically involved with the undergraduates. It's part of my internship contract." Her face seemed to fall at that revelation. "I…I want so much to be with you…but I can't. My career would be forfeit."

"You…you want to be with me?" Her eyes were shining as she stared up at him. "No one has to know…"

"Lisa…I--" Greg was cut off as Lisa pulled him back down to her, her gentle lips molding against his own. His thoughts went blank, all words forgotten as he closed his eyes again and let himself fall into the kiss. He returned her passion, knowing he would regret it later when everything came back to her and she remembered that she had been blackmailed and raped, and decided she never wanted to see another man again.

When that time came, he realized, he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it. He would just have to show her that not all men were heartless jerks. He would just have to show her that he cared about her, that he would never take advantage of her the way that Joel had. Greg still wanted her body, certainly, but he would be patient. He would take it only when she gave it to him freely. He wasn't like Joel. And he had to prove that to her. He would prove that to her.


	16. Chapter 16

YAY! Managed to finally work some medical stuff in...oh! you all knew it had to come up eventually!!!!! But it fits with the introspection that was needed for this chapter, so...yeah...  


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-Chapter 16: Taking Over Me-

**Monday, November 12, 1984**

A week and a half of being in close quarters with Greg and not being able to look into his eyes without him looking away was hell on Lisa's nerves. Was he really ashamed of the kiss they'd shared at his apartment? She supposed she should feel guilty as well. He'd only meant to comfort her, and things had escalated. He probably felt like he had taken advantage of her vulnerable state of mind. Even though she had welcomed it wholeheartedly.

"I can't concentrate!" Lisa growled, dropping her pencil and clutching her temples. "We need to talk about it…"

"There's nothing to talk about." She was infuriated that he didn't even meet her eyes as he snapped back a bit too quickly.

"Then why won't you look at me?" she challenged. "There's something to talk about and we need to talk about it. Greg…no one has to know…"

"And if someone does find out? Lisa, this isn't just a matter of 'oh, my mistake, won't ever happen again, Doctor Arnold.' This is a matter of 'Yes, Doctor Arnold. I understand fully that this means that I could possibly never get another internship, and hence never legally practice medicine unsupervised.' We can't do this, Lisa." He finally looked up to meet her eyes. "I know you want to, and I totally want to…but we can't. I was trying to comfort you. You were vulnerable. I took advantage. I'm sorry. It _can't_ happen again."

She'd listened to his speech in silence. She knew the risks. And part of her didn't care. In the few months she'd known him, she had developed such strong feelings for him that she would do anything for him. Except what he was asking her to do.

"I can't concentrate…" she repeated, her voice lower. "My mind goes blank whenever you're around me." Lisa's mind had shut off its filter again, just as it had in his living room. She was aware of what she was saying, but she couldn't stop the words from flowing. "My heart speeds up, and it feels like I'm going to explode if I can't touch you."

"It's a crush, Lisa. It will go away…" Greg muttered back.

"You said you wanted to be with me…you must feel the same way I do," she pleaded. When he cast his eyes away and didn't answer, she collapsed back against her pillows, a heavy sigh escaping her.

Greg's breath hitched when he heard the sigh, and he turned his eyes back to her. His mouth went dry. Her wavy brown hair was spilling over the pillows, the strands forming dark rivers against the pale yellow of the pillows. Carefully, he moved from the other end of the bed where he had been sitting with his own textbook open to the appropriate chapter, setting the book aside as he shifted closer to her. Her eyes were closed and he smiled.

Arranging himself next to her, he threw one arm over her body, pressing his palm against the mattress and bracing himself over her. Not quite touching her. Surrounding her with his presence. Her head was thrown back against the pillow, baring her neck. A soft smirk curling his lips, he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the pale expanse of flesh. At her gasp, he moved a fraction, placing another kiss right above the first, trailing up to her ear before moving on to her jaw. He didn't quite make it that far though.

Her breath had hitched considerably when he reached the spot just behind her ear. "So…you like that, do you?" he asked, flicking his tongue out to just barely touch the area.

"Yes.." she whispered, unsure if her voice would rise above the softest murmur. Another gasp escaped her as he kissed the spot again, parting his lips against her skin, beginning to gently suck on the spot. Almost of their own volition, her arms raised up to wrap around his neck, dragging down her hands to frame his face, pulling his lips away from the sensitive area of her neck. She gazed into his eyes, her own slightly glazed over.

Both pairs of eyes closed when their lips met. The world around them vanished and it was all them. He worked his lips over hers, forcing hers apart and sliding his tongue into her mouth, taking up the previous exploration of the warm cavern. He moaned into her mouth as her hands traveled down from his face, over his neck and shoulders, gripping his upper arms. He was surprised when she broke the kiss first.

"Are…are you sure…we should be doing this?" she panted, her eyes wild. His cock twitched at the sight of her panting beneath him. Instead of answering her, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers again, softly, briefly. He wasn't sure that he should have, but it seemed like the best option at the time. Pulling back, he stared down at her, clear blue eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"No. I'm not sure we should be doing this," he finally said, pulling away and returning to his end of the mattress. "We should finish tonight's lesson."

"A….All right…" she answered, a heavy feeling settling in her chest and the pit of her stomach as he moved from her and picked his textbook back up. She sat up and was about to reach for her own, but he pulled it away from her. "Hey!"

"You have a test on Wednesday. I need to see how much you remember. Allowing you to flip though your book to find the answer, well, that just wouldn't be fair. Also, it wouldn't be a test of how much you really know. And you will concentrate." She glared at him, but let it go, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Symptoms are progressive dementia, memory loss, personality changes, hallucinations, speech impairment, myoclonus, ataxia, changes in gait, rigid posture, and seizures." He had looked away from her again, staring down into his book. Lisa rolled her eyes at his suddenly professional tone, but couldn't stop her thoughts from racing as she heard him ramble off the symptoms of the disease she was supposed to be remembering the name of. Medical terminology wasn't supposed to be a turn-on, damn it! Realizing that she should probably give him an answer, or at least seem like she was thinking of something besides her tutor in only a lab coat….

She shook her head violently to clear that very distracting and _very_ sexual image from her head. How could she possibly think about infectious diseases at a time like this, when her pulse was still racing from his closeness and her lips still tingled from his kiss?

"Do you need me to repeat the symptoms?" His voice broke through her musings, and she blinked rapidly.

"Could be Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease…I would look for the characteristic sharp waves on an electroencephalogram to confirm…" He cut her off with a look.

"Good. What else could you do to confirm CJD?"

"Check cerebrospinal fluid for the 14-3-3 protein…get an MRI to check the caudate nucleus for increased signal intensity. Pretty depressing disease you picked to start off with, House. There's no cure for CJD and it's always fatal." Glaring at him again, she realized he must have picked it as the first question to dispel the sexual tension their kiss had created.

He ignored her and went right onto the next question after confirming her diagnosis. "Rare autosomal dominant inherited disease presenting in four distinct stages. Name the disease and the symptoms of each stage." She rolled her eyes. Essay question. He was really giving her an essay question? Her heart sank in her chest as she sighed and prepared to answer.

"Fatal familial insomnia. First stage symptoms are increasing insomnia, leading to panic attacks, paranoia, and phobias. This stage lasts about four months. For about five months after that, hallucinations and panic attacks are noticeable. Following the first two stages, complete inability to sleep and weight loss continue for roughly three months. Over the course of the next six months after that, the patient is afflicted with dementia and becomes either mute or unresponsive. After that…" Lisa gulped. Why did this chapter _have _to be about transmissible spongiform encephalopathy? Why did she choose this moment to a sexual interest in her infectious disease tutor to the love she was sure she felt for him? She knew that deadly infections would come up; those were guaranteed mood-killers. He was looking at her again, and she realized that she'd been quiet, mouth open mid-sentence for a little over a minute. "After that…the patient dies." He nodded, checking something off on the paper in front of him.

"Rare disease presenting with slowly developing dysarthria, ataxia of the cerebellum, and progressive dementia." He had looked back up at her, his professionalism completely intact. His eyes showed absolutely nothing as they searched her own. Lisa took an unsteady breath before giving the answer.

"Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome. Usually familial, always fatal neurodegenerative disease. Patients rarely survive longer than five years after diagnosis." Heaving a sigh, she tore her gaze from him, staring down at her comforter.

"Let's call it a night…you seem to be pretty well versed in TSE. Wednesdays' test should be no problem for you." He slid her book back across the bed to her, closing his own. Gathering up his materials, Greg shifted, sliding himself off the mattress and to his feet. "No study session on Wednesday due to the test."

"You'll come by anyways, won't you?" There was hope in Lisa's voice and her eyes as she followed Greg's movements. He sighed.

"I don't know," he answered, looking down at her briefly before moving to the door. "I'll see you in class, though." On that note, he opened the door, leaving without looking back at her, afraid she would see the desire in his eyes that her hopeful voice had invoked.


	17. Chapter 17

-Chapter 17: I See It Now-

**Saturday, November 24, 1984**

It was only now, as Lisa packed the things she was taking home with her out to her car, that she realized that she could not remember seeing Joel on campus since he'd left her during her pregnancy scare. Not that she cared. It was just odd. She didn't want to ask Greg if he had seen her ex; not after the couple times her tutor had stuck his tongue down her throat. Not that she was complaining. In her opinion, Gregory House had a very nice tongue and he could put it wherever he pleased.

Of course, as soon as she thought that, she regretted it, since it led to thoughts about where _exactly_ Gregory House _could_ put his tongue. And, as interesting as those thoughts were, she didn't want to be thinking of them as she drove home for break. Now that she thought about it, she should have been on her way home the previous night, since House had cancelled that session as well due to Thanksgiving break. But he had stopped by to congratulate her on not failing the test.

_--She stared at him, wondering if that was all he'd stopped by to say. If it was, he could have told her after break. It was only the weekend…telling her she'd done well on the TSE test could have waited. Especially since she was sure that she wasn't supposed to know what she had gotten until the graded test forms were handed back during the first class after break ended._

"_Is that all?" she asked. He shifted slightly uncomfortably, his eyes darting back and forth nervously._

"_No. Do you…do you think I could come in?" The confusion in his voice was the main part of the reason she stepped aside and allowed him to enter her room, closing the door behind him. She refused to admit to herself that the other part of the reason she didn't turn him away was because she hoped that this visit would end in their lips locking. He'd said that it couldn't happen between them, no matter how much they wanted it. He wasn't willing to risk his career for her. And she desperately wanted to believe that she wouldn't risk his career, either. House had the potential to be a very successful doctor, regardless of what specialty he went into. It took her a moment to realize he was speaking again._

"…_not really looking forward to going home."_

"_Why not?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too much like she hadn't been paying attention. Thankfully, he didn't seem to hesitant to answer her._

"_My family's not…normal. I don't want to go into the sordid details right now, Lisa. I just…"_

"_Need to talk to someone?" she guessed, and House nodded. He took a seat on her bed and she moved to sit next to him. "You're not the only one with a messed up family, Greg. My sister and I are rarely on good terms with each other. My father…well, I haven't heard from him in a long while. Mom worries constantly about me and Laura."_

"_Moms are supposed to worry. Moms are supposed to take care of their kids…make sure nothing happens to them." There was bitterness in his voice, but Lisa didn't comment on it. He didn't seem to notice her silence, wrapped up in his own thoughts. "Not that I have a problem with my mother…my mother is fine. She's everything a mother should be," he continued quietly after a moment. Again, Lisa figured that saying nothing was the best course of action. "I should go. Need to pack up some stuff…leaving later tonight."_

"_Tonight? Why not wait until morning?"_

"_Long drive to Jersey," he muttered, standing and making his way back to the door. She sat there, making no move to stop him from leaving. "See you after the break." He opened the door and walked out, letting the door close on its own.--_

She'd stayed up for hours, wondering about how horrible his home life must be if he was unwilling to go home for even a couple days. Finally, after deciding it wasn't her business, and if Greg wanted to tell her, he would in his own time, she had drifted to sleep.

After a restless night, she wasn't sure if she was fit to drive. But here she was anyway, slamming her trunk shut and taking the few steps to the driver's side door.

"I need coffee," she murmured as she opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. She closed the door and keyed the ignition, ready to pull out of her spot when a car stopped right behind her, blocking her exit. She shouldn't have been shocked by the sudden tapping at her window, but she was. Quickly, she rolled down her window.

"I've seen you two together…"

"God, Joel. Why can't you just leave me alone?" Lisa demanded. "Move your car so I can go home."

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me. Are you dating your tutor?" Joel leaned against the side of the car, bracing his hands on the roof.

"No. Why do you care? We're through, Hartman. You hear me? We're over, done, through." A sudden thought struck her, and she thought it would get him to leave her alone. So she went for it. "It's not too late for me to report you for rape and assault."

"You wouldn't. I still have a copy of that photo, and no regrets about selling it to the paper."

"You sell that photo and I'll report you for blackmail, too."

"You got a backbone since you and House started sleeping together, Cuddy. I'm impressed." Joel didn't look the least bit impressed, however.

"I'm not sleeping with Doctor House. Now, move your car, or you can add 'obstruction of traffic' to the list of offenses you'll be charged with in court." She knew very well that traffic obstruction wasn't as serious as the other offenses she'd mentioned, but at least Joel pushed himself away from her Granada and made his way back to his own run down car. Once he'd gone his own way, she pulled out and began her own commute home.


	18. Chapter 18

-Chapter 18: Settle for a Slow Down-

**Saturday, November 24, 1984**

It was a quarter to six in the morning when Greg finally coasted to a stop outside his parents' house. Though he had made fairly regular stops for coffee, the almost ten hour drive had taken quite a toll. He thought about crawling into the backseat and sleeping, deciding that he would be better equipped to deal with his father after a good few hours of sleep. And he'd set himself firmly in the idea that his shoulder bag would make an excellent pillow when the shades shifted in the window of the front room.

The door opened a moment later, and Greg groaned. So much for sleeping in the car. Taking up his shoulder bag and his briefcase, he decided to leave the rest until later. As he opened the door and climbed out of the car, he completely ignored the figure of his father standing on the front steps, watching him. He shut the door of his Colt and looked up to see that his mother was standing in the doorway. Making his way up the front lawn, the first words his father spoke were not exactly the ones he'd wanted to hear.

"That thing actually made it this far in one piece?" Greg glanced back to his car, then turned a hard look on his father.

"Yeah. Amazing how an eleven year old dreamboat can so easily make a six hundred mile trip…twice," he snapped back, weariness evident in his voice. His father looked like he was about to say something back, but his mother interfered.

"Leave him alone, John, he probably drove all night." Thankfully, John turned and went back into the house. "I've got your room ready. Go on up, son. We'll talk after you've had some sleep."

"Thanks, Mom," he sighed, continuing his trek up the lawn and through the front door. He didn't even look at his father as he passed, making his way up the stairs to his old room. As he passed though the door to his room, he let out a deep breath, dropping his bag and briefcase and stumbling tiredly to his bed, collapsing onto the mattress without even kicking his shoes off.

He had the strangest dream. At least, he thought it was a dream. Everything was so clear, he couldn't quite be sure. He was in his car, but he wasn't driving. In fact, he wasn't anywhere near the steering wheel. Which he thought was odd, until he realized that there could only be one reason he'd be in his car, but not be in the driver's seat. The only thing wrong was that he couldn't see who was in the car with him. His brain told him it was a woman, but the figure was shrouded completely in darkness.

Just as the shadows started to recede, to show him some woman he didn't need to see to know who it was, a soft knocking at his door jarred him from his sleep. Cracking one eye open, he looked at his mother. He groaned, feeling the details of the dream begin to escape him. Such a good dream, too.

"What time is it?" he asked, attempting to push himself up, running one hand over his face.

"Almost two," she answered, leaning slightly against the door frame. "Dinner's at five." He nodded, gesturing that he'd be down in a few minutes. She left, and Greg had to fight not to collapse back onto the pillows. Instead, he looked himself over. He couldn't remember taking his shoes off, but they had somehow ended up at the foot of the mattress, and he imagined he had kicked them off at some point. His clothes were wrinkled from his long drive and…he looked at his watch…almost eight hour nap. There was only one choice to make now.

Go down and spend three hours with his father while his mother prepared dinner? Or take a really long shower, just because he thought he needed it, and stay away from his father a bit longer?

The decision was already made, though. He had told his mother a few minutes. Staying up here and taking an hour long shower was out of the question, even if it would make him more presentable. Not that he really cared about looking presentable. His father was less likely to make scathing comments if he actually took the time to shave, though. Was it really worth sitting through all that just to see his mother?

Resolutely, Greg stood up and made his way quickly to his wardrobe, pulling out a clean set of clothes. He'd be better off taking that shower now, rather than waiting.

True to his plan, he emerged from the second floor bathroom almost an hour later, feeling refreshed and mourning the lack of his usual five o'clock shadow. It was a sacrifice he'd had to make, if it would make dealing with his father any easier. Clean and dressed in fresh clothing, he made his way downstairs, wishing that he could make the excuse of needing to grade assignments and tests and fill out evaluations and such, but his parents would counter, claiming that he had all weekend.

The scene at the bottom of the stairs was exactly what Greg had expected it to be. His mother was in the kitchen, over the stove. From the smell, he could guess chicken was in the oven. His father was sitting at the kitchen table, newspaper open and an open beer at his elbow. John raised his eyes and quirked a brow at his son's entrance, and Greg merely gave a nod of acknowledgment, careful to keep his eyes neutral. Turing his clear blue eyes to his mother, he made his way into the kitchen, careful to stay out of her way.

"Did you shave?" John's voice followed him as he opened the pantry, sounding slightly incredulous.

"Yes, Dad," he answered back, his tone as flat as his eyes had been.

"What are you looking for, Greg?" his mother asked, walking away from the stove. She backed away, though, when her son reemerged from the pantry, holding a bottle of amber liquid. "No."

"I'm twenty-five, Mom. I can have my scotch if I want to." Greg stepped around his mother to get a glass. "If you didn't want me to have it, you could have gotten rid of it while I was in Michigan."

"We couldn't find it," his father put in. "Otherwise we would have."

"You two act like I'm a drug addict. A glass or two of scotch once in a while isn't going to kill me." Why his parents felt the need to explain to him the dangers of hard alcohol every time he pulled out his secret stash of scotch was a mystery to him. This conversation had happened at least five times over the summer. And he had thought that that would be the end of it. "Besides," he added, already pouring a drink, "you try and write good music without a buzz. It's not easy." Replacing the cap on the bottle and reaching for his drink, he narrowed his eyes when his mother's hand shot out and took the glass.

"You don't need alcohol to write music." His glare turned to his father, who had put down his paper and had made his way to stand in the entrance to the kitchen, beer in hand. "And don't you dare look at me like that." Greg allowed his glare to dissipate, but his frown stayed firmly in place.

"I'll need that drink to get through the pile of tests I have to grade for my mentor's class…" he trailed off, glancing at his mother through the corner of his eye. She sighed and held the glass of scotch back out. Greg took it without another word, grabbing the bottle on his way back out of the kitchen. His father stopped him at the entrance. He resisted the urge to say something scathing, and met his father's eyes unflinchingly. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to leave the scotch in the kitchen, John stepped aside and allowed Greg to go back up to his room. "I'll be down for dinner, and then I have to get back to work," he said over his shoulder as he started back up the stairs. Once he was back in his room, he shut the door firmly and locked it. With no intention of doing paperwork, he slumped into his desk chair, kicking his legs up, knocking back the scotch easily. He hated coming home.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Same Old Story

**Saturday, November 24, 1984**

Eight hours and five stops for coffee was all it took for Lisa to make it home. She felt the sudden apprehension that crept over her every time she came home. And she didn't know why she continued to feel it whenever she stopped her car in front of the house. It wasn't like anything would be different.

She would climb out of the car, make her way up to the front door, greet her mother, be ignored by her sister, and wonder if there had been any word from her father as she walked down the hall to set her things down before taking a quick shower. It was always the same. As it turned out, there was never any word from her father. Lisa didn't even know why she ever bothered to ask.

Sighing, she opened the door of the car and got out, pulling her bag along with her. She trudged the familiar path to her front door, opening it soundlessly. Her mother and sister were watching something on television, and Lisa didn't stop to figure out what it was.

"I'm home," she said, closing the door behind her. The other two women looked up at her as soon as the door clicked shut.

"Welcome home, dear. How was the drive? Not too horrible, I hope."

"It was fine, Mom. The snow wasn't that much of a problem," she replied easily. Turning her gaze to her sister, she cleared her throat. "Hi, Laura," she tried. Just like she did every year.

"Hey, Lisa," her sister returned. Lisa was only slightly shocked; Laura rarely replied to her greetings. Maybe something had changed? Something in her throat tightened as her sister turned to their mother. "Can Todd still come over for Thanksgiving?"

"Who's Todd?" Lisa asked as their mom nodded. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I don't see any reason he can't," their mother answered before returning her attention to her slightly younger daughter. "Todd is Laura's fiancé. I thought she'd written you about him…"

Instead of answering, Lisa turned a hard look on her older sister. Laura didn't seem to notice, as she'd gone back to what she had been doing. Could that be why she was being so nice? Because she was getting married? Lisa furrowed her brows and pouted slightly at the thought.

As she turned to make her way down the hall to her room, she wondered why she was so upset. Laura was two years older than her. It seemed not only likely, but somehow fair, that she would marry before Lisa would. Which begged the question of whether or not she even wanted to marry. Sitting down on her bed, she tossed her bag aside and rested her elbows on her knees. Setting her chin firmly on her fists, she thought.

Was she truly that upset that her sister was getting married? Or was she upset that Laura hadn't even cared enough to let her know? Why was she always the last one to find out about anything? Why was she worrying herself? If Laura didn't even want her knowing about the engagement, wasn't it a sure bet that she wouldn't want her to be at the wedding, either?

Why did siblings have to be so frustrating?

As she stood and gathered up a clean set of clothes to wear after her shower, she found herself envying House. The way he talked made it sound like he was an only child. Which meant that he probably didn't have the same problems she did.

But he had also alluded to having his own problems at home. Lisa didn't even try to wonder why she was thinking about Greg at a time like this, but she did wonder what had made him sound so miserable the night before. He claimed he had no problems with his mother…which left his father. Lisa sighed as she turned on the water in the bathroom, waiting for it to heat up. At least he had both parents at home…

Shaking her head clear of those thoughts, she stepped into the shower and drew the curtain closed. Tilting her head back under the spray of water, Lisa hoped that her mother wouldn't ask if she'd 'met someone'. What would she say to that?

'_Yeah, Mom. I met someone. He's my tutor because I'm failing one of my classes because I can't keep my eyes off of him. But since he's also an intern, and I'm an undergraduate, any relationship I convince him to have with me will be shrouded in secrets so he doesn't jeopardize his career.'_

Yeah. That would go over fantastically. Maybe she could just stay quiet and pretend she hadn't heard the question… But she'd eventually have to answer, and that would betray the whole purpose of avoiding the question in the first place.

But, she also didn't have to mention that he was her tutor, or an intern.

"Who am I kidding?" Lisa asked herself, slumping sideways against the wall. "Mom's gonna ask, and if I lie to her, I'm just showing that I don't trust her. But if I tell her the truth…Greg could get into a lot of trouble, and so could I," she stopped. When had she started putting House before herself? Shouldn't she be more worried about her own position? House could take care of himself, couldn't he? He didn't need her to keep him in line…didn't need her to keep him out of trouble.

But then, they weren't even actually together. So, what could she say? That she cared for him, but he didn't think it was a good idea for them to be together?

Like her mother would buy that.

Her thoughts were broken by a pounding on the bathroom door. Her sister's voice filtered through.

"Are you almost done in there? Come on, Lisa! It takes ten minutes to take a shower. You've been in there twenty minutes!" Lisa rolled her eyes and turned off the water, despite having been too lost in her thoughts to actually wash her hair. Oh well. She could do it later, she supposed. When she wasn't thinking about him.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Favorite State of Mind

**Sunday, November 25, 1984--Thanksgiving Day**

Groaning into his pillow as his door was flung open, Greg turned away from the intruder, rolling over and tangling the blankets around himself more than they already were from his rough night of sleep.

He'd had no small amount of trouble falling asleep, his thoughts clouded by strange emotions and even stranger thoughts. The longing in his chest should not have kept him awake half the night. Sexual longings never had. His first strange thought of the previous night was why this longing should be any different. He'd firmly convinced himself that his only interest in Lisa was sexual, so what made this hollow feeling in his chest so special?

The last thought he could remember having before finally, finally, being claimed by the darkness of sleep was a vague wondering of how Lisa had fared on her commute home, and an almost sad thought that he had no way to contact her. He realized that he should have asked for her home phone number, in case he absolutely needed to speak with her. But, he figured as he pulled the blankets tighter around himself, she wasn't likely to have given it to him.

There was only one reason men asked women for their phone numbers.

Even if he wanted to sleep with Lisa at some point in the future, it wouldn't have been his main reason for getting her phone number.

None of those thoughts concerned him this morning as he clutched the blankets tighter, hanging on to the last vestiges of sleep before he was forced out of bed and downstairs to spend time with relatives he loathed. As he was unsure of which parent had come to wake him at what he was positive was an ungodly hour, he kept his back to the door, attempting to ignore them.

"Today is not a day to be sleeping in."

Ah. Now he was even less likely to want to get up. He wasn't about to give his father the satisfaction of having gotten him up on the first try. He was going to stay asleep as long as he could, if only to avoid letting his father think he had some control over his son. So, instead of rolling over and climbing out of bed like a good boy, he held tighter to his pillow, keeping his eyes closed, blocking out his father's voice.

"Our relatives are going to be arriving within the hour. I want you downstairs before they start showing up."

Greg still made no move to get up. He hated mornings enough as it was. Having to get up this early was out of the question. He wasn't even sure what time it was. And he wasn't about to ask. The bedroom door closed and only then did he turn back, cracking his eyes open to see that his father had left the room. Heaving a sigh, he forced himself to sit up, rubbing the grains of sleep from his eyes. Stifling a yawn, he stood and moved across the room to his closet. Picking something at random, he didn't even bother to shower before getting dressed.

He took a moment to glance around his room, looking for something to distract him from the inanity of family gatherings. His eyes settled on his briefcase, and his blue eyes lit up as a smirk curled his lips. Taking up the case, he left his room and started down the stairs. He yawned as he entered the living room. Making sure that his father was watching him, Greg fell back onto the couch, propping up his feet as he opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers. Unfortunately, the page on top was the first page of Lisa's test.

She actually had done surprisingly well on it, but he supposed he shouldn't have been too shocked. His ego was just large enough to insist that she wouldn't have been able to do it without his help. But part of him was proud of her for pulling through, even if he was responsible for helping her. Smiling at the memory of the look on her face when he'd told her she'd passed the other night, he set her test aside and stared at the ungraded one beneath it.

Greg could still feel his father's eyes on him as he took up his grading pen and the answer key and set to work. After a moment, the feeling of being watched passed and he only looked up again almost an hour later when there was a knock on the door. Glancing quickly between the test forms and the door, he decided that he would answer; he was closer to the door anyway. So he set aside his work and stood, moving quickly to the door and opening it.

He stiffened as an aunt he could not remember having ever seen wrapped her arms around him. He rolled his eyes as she went on with the usual comments relatives often made; "Oh, Greg! You've grown up! When did that happen? I remember when you were little…" He blocked it out, prying himself out of his aunt's embrace with as much grace and dignity as he could. There was a veritable flood of people from both sides of the family entering the house before he could close the door.

Hoping his father wouldn't force him to mingle, he slinked back to the couch as quietly as he could and took up the tests again. Certain that the noise level of his family conversing and laughing would cover up the scratching of his pen on the paper, he made a checkmark against a random student's incorrect answer. Of course, as sometimes happens, the noise level dropped dramatically as he lifted the pen again, and suddenly half the people in the room were staring at him. He sighed and let his head fall forward in annoyance as John House made his way to the front of the crowd. He cleared his throat and Greg looked up, meeting his father's eyes defiantly.

"Gregory. We have company."

"I know," he said, not breaking from his father's hard gaze, not backing down. "But I have to get this done. Doctor Arnold expects these tests to be graded completely and accurately when I get back to the school."

"You can do it when everyone leaves, can't you?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure. If you want me to lose my internship because I was irresponsible with my assigned duties." Greg knew, even as he spoke, that that wasn't the wisest thing he could say at this point, and for a moment, he was afraid of what his father would do in retribution. But the moment passed when he remembered that he was twenty-five years old and no longer vulnerable to his father's insane methods of punishment. There was a sharp intake of air somewhere in the room, and Greg rolled his eyes and forced his eyes back down to his work. He made another checkmark, and there was a collective sense of relief as everyone went back to socializing.

When Blythe came out of the kitchen to announce that Thanksgiving dinner was ready, Greg contemplated for a brief moment about bringing his work with him to the table. Figuring that too many people would be in the kitchen and dining room, he finally decided to get his food and bring it with him back to the living room. If anyone thought he was being a social outcast, he'd give them a gold star and damn them. He just wasn't a 'people person'.

He'd made it back to the couch, but hadn't yet set his plate down and settled himself again when someone tried to get his attention. Turning, he suppressed the urge to ignore. The aunt from earlier bustled over as soon as she noticed that he'd actually paused to acknowledge her.

"Why don't you come join us? There's plenty of room." She smiled hugely and gestured to where she and her husband and a couple of Greg's cousins were sitting. Forcing back a shudder at the very idea of familial interaction, he shook his head as politely as he could.

"Sorry, Aunt Kara. I've got a lot of work to do for my mentor." He thought that she would just take that and go, but her smile did not fade even a fraction.

"What are you doing that you have so much work?" she asked, attempting to make enough small talk that her nephew would give in and join them.

"I'm a doctor," he answered simply. "My internship depends on me getting this done." Forcing a polite smile, he continued his rejection of the invitation, adding in a subtle sarcastic tone: "If I didn't have so much paperwork to do, I would gladly join you. As it stands, I can't afford to let this sit too much longer. You will give the girls my regards, won't you?" He was, of course, referring to his cousins, and he hoped that his aunt would go back to them and leave him in peace to eat and work. He let go a sigh of relief as she nodded in understanding, seemingly not picking up on his sarcasm, and left to return to her family and the rest of the clan.

Wondering why his parents even bothered to try to make him spend time with these people who he rarely saw except for major holidays, he set down his plate and collapsed again onto the couch, sinking into the cushions as he kicked his feet up and resumed his work as he ate.

As he got deeper and deeper into his work, Greg found that his mind wandered more and more frequently, mostly, to his unending surprise, to Lisa. What was she doing? Did she perhaps love spending time with her family? Was she having fun? Had she thought about him at all over the weekend? Or was she rolling her eyes as the males of her family turned on the television and watched violent sports as he did when his family watched the parade? Did she see no point in the endless fanaticism of the holiday, the meaninglessness of such large social gatherings? Was she thinking about him? Why was he always thinking about her? Was it entirely possible that his feelings for her were not entirely sexual?

Greg shook his head to clear all the questions from his mind. At this point, he was more confused than he had ever been in his life. And he had non-sexual feelings for Lisa. Which he supposed was the reason for his confusion; he could not remember ever feeling the way he did about any other woman he'd ever been with. And he couldn't name the feeling, and that scared the hell out of him.


	21. Chapter 21

*dies* I was so blocked on this, so it's uber short. I'm not happy with it at all, but I'm not about to force myself to make it better, because then it will suck more. But, here it is...

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-Chapter 21: No News-

**Sunday, November 25, 1984--Thanksgiving Day**

"Can I please switch seats with someone?" Lisa asked, trying to avoid glaring at her sister who was spending more time staring at her boyfriend, fiancé, whatever, than paying attention to her food and had just kicked her in the leg. She didn't care if it was an accident or not.

"Lisa, you know the seating arrangement," her mother answered. "Laura, dear, you're dripping gravy all over your shirt…" Laura blinked and looked down, turning bright red and rushing away from the table, nearly in tears from the embarrassment. Lisa just made a disgusted face and kept eating. This was definitely worse than last year. She sighed, pushing her plate away. "Something wrong, dear?" her mother asked, pasting a worried look on her face.

"I…I'm just not very hungry, I guess…" she answered, casting her eyes down and away.

"Can I…?" Todd started, looking over at Lisa's half-finished plate.

"No," Lisa answered quickly, turning a disgusted glare on her future brother-in-law. "I'll wrap it up and see if I can finish it later." Her mother simply nodded and smiled, silently telling her youngest that it was fine for her to leave the table. Lisa picked up her plate and took it back into the kitchen, covered it with plastic wrap and found a place in the fridge for it. "I'm going to my room," she commented as she passed back through the dining room, not even pausing to hear her mother's answer.

She passed her sister on her way down the hall. Laura didn't even meet her eyes as she went back to the table wearing a clean shirt. Lisa didn't care. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. She collapsed face-down on her bed and hugged her pillow. Her mother hadn't asked yet about what had happened at the school, but she would before the end of the day, she was sure. And then she'd have to reveal her crush on her tutor and the fact that her ex-boyfriend had blackmailed, tricked, and raped her. Lisa couldn't tell her mother those things. Not without bursting into tears at some point.

She had no choice. She'd lie. She'd say everything was okay, that nothing too out of the ordinary had happened. And hope her mother bought it. How likely was that, though?

Lisa sighed heavily and sat up, pulling her bag up onto the bed in front of her. She'd do her homework and try to keep her mind off of her problems. Pulling her textbook out, she opened it to the appropriate chapter, the one she and House would be covering when break ended. "This is impossible," she sighed, closing the book again. There was no way she'd be able to concentrate. Not once she started thinking about him.

How Lisa wished she had some way to contact him. But they'd never exchanged phone numbers. She sighed again and fell back on her bed again, deciding a nap before driving back to the school couldn't hurt.

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Ugh...again, sorry it's short, but I will try my very hardest to get another chapter out soon...


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